<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>My Dear Friend by NaomiRebekah</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486937">My Dear Friend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaomiRebekah/pseuds/NaomiRebekah'>NaomiRebekah</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Moon Lovers: Remembrance [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (Korea TV), 개와 늑대의 시간 | Time Between Dog and Wolf (TV), 달의 연인-보보경심 려 | Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fix-It of Sorts, Flashbacks, Homage, Language, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Second Chances, Some Fluff, Some Plot, Some Skinship, Why Did I Write This?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:08:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>36,366</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486937</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaomiRebekah/pseuds/NaomiRebekah</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I am in no ways a writer, I just started coming up with this idea for a "second season" that was canon compliant to the MLSHR months ago --and I'm finally writing it down before I forget it all.</p><p>This story begins with Go Hajin, waking up back in her South Korea 2016, only moments after dying as Hae Soo, in Goryeo. </p><p>How does she rebuild her life in South Korea, after the mess she left it in? What things have changed about her personality --and are those changes for the better or worse? Does it feel like a piece of herself is missing? Will she remember Goryeo or was it all just one long dream now that she has returned to South Korea? </p><p>  <em>“…Maybe everyone in the world had nightmares,<br/>How can I cry by myself?<br/>There’s a place I wanted to return to,<br/>Now even my footprints seem unfamiliar to me,<br/>My dear friend,<br/>Thank you for being you.”</em></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hae Soo | Go Ha Jin/Wang So | Fourth Prince, Sung Chun-ja | Go Hajoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Moon Lovers: Remembrance [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801552</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“…Maybe everyone in the world had nightmares,<br/>How can I cry by myself?<br/>There’s a place I wanted to return to,<br/>Now even my footprints seem unfamiliar to me,<br/>My dear friend,<br/>Thank you for being you.”</em>
</p><p>Seoul, South Korea<br/>May, 17, 2016</p><p> </p><p>Beep… Beep… Beeeep…</p><p> </p><p>Light. She blinked against the white blinding light. Where was she? What was happening? Her vision and hearing were both so fuzzy. Moving her head to the left she could make out…two…three… Figures. All of them leaning over her. One of them began shouting in unintelligible noises…? Was that Jung? That must be Jung… huh… she must’ve only fainted… She let her tired eyes close again… a small smile formed on her lips… She’d live another day… that would give Pyeha one more day, and one more chance to see her and.…</p><p> </p><p>Beeeeep. Beeeep. Beep. Beep.</p><p> </p><p>What was that frustrating beeping noise?</p><p> </p><p>“Yoouuuurrr fiinnnnalllyyy awwwakkeee!”</p><p> </p><p>“Haaajjjinnnn! Itsss..</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Hajin? …That’s… me.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“…Jooonnn”</p><p> </p><p><em>Joon? …</em>That was the name of her younger brother. She must have misheard Jung. but why on earth was Jung carrying on so…? Was something amiss with Seol?… What else would change his disposition so much…?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Was Pyeha, finally here? Did he forgive her? Did he read her letters and finally come to see her?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Her heart raced at the possibility. She opened her eyes once more and using all her strength fought to sit up.</p><p> </p><p>Blurry vision cleared.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>… Joonie? What was Joonie doing in Goryeo?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“My Jinnie! Jinnie… You’re awake….You were gone so long… I…” She knew that voice…</p><p> </p><p>"Oemma...?"</p><p> </p><p>The voice stopped suddenly and only sobs of emotion from that side of the room could be heard.</p><p> </p><p>Hajin, glanced to the other side of the hospital bed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Mom was here too...?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Reality crept in. Now it was her turn to cry. Emotions that had begun building at the back of her throat reached a terminal capacity --emerging as little sobs highlighted by streams of tears <em>… I'm… home?… after enduring 10 years in that hell hole of a palace and I'm finally back… back… in my Korea?</em></p><p> </p><p>Her heart sank.</p><p> </p><p>Pulled under by the waves of emotion.</p><p> </p><p>The room spun away from under her.</p><p> </p><p>Her eardrums pounded.</p><p> </p><p>Oxygen.</p><p> </p><p>She needed oxygen.</p><p> </p><p>Gasps. Then sobs.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>All of them...</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Pyeha… Gwangjong… Fourth Prince.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Jung.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Beak Ah.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Soel.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Dead.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>What had happened to her baby Seol? she'd just held in her arms, minutes ago? Would never got to see her first steps, or hear her first word. Never hear the words, “Mama.” Who hold her when she cried after falling and scraping her knee for the first time? Jung? Was Jung, a good and caring father? ...Did he keep his promise? Did Seol ever know who her actual father was? Did Pyeha ever hear Seol call out to him as, “Dada?”</p><p> </p><p>She would never know. She would never know.</p><p> </p><p>Hajin clutched at the sheets with weak hands.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Dead. They were... were.... Seol... her baby... de-</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The tears flood into sobs, gut wrenching sobs. He never came. She'd left him alone in the palace —the one place they'd both grown to hate. Her worst fears had come true. He had truly tossed her out of his heart… and now… they would be forever isolated by the cruel prank of time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He never came… No goodbyes…. Nothing…. gone… but… but… why… did it all now just feel like it was a dream now?… one long… horrible dream… but it had all felt so real… just… just minutes ago?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>For what felt like an eternity, Hajin sat sobbing mother's shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>—————————————————————————————<br/>Seoul, South Korea<br/>May, 18, 2016</p><p> </p><p>“…my only Queen”</p><p> </p><p>Hajin struggled to sit up in the hospital bed. Covered in sweat, again.</p><p> </p><p>She’d woken up from a a night of trying to get Gwangjong, the 4th king of Goryeo to turn around and see her… while he just coldly continued to walked away from her. She had tried to chase after him, but her limp had been so bad that she had to crawl… in the end he had turned around and revealed a face half covered but a crude metal mask.</p><p> </p><p>The Goryeo part had made since, since she’d just been there…? Hadn’t she? Was that all just a vivid dream too…?</p><p> </p><p>But why had the historical figure of Gwangjong, been in her dream? Why was he wearing a mask?</p><p> </p><p>A quick glance around room. The hospital. She was lying in a hospital bed. Hajin, bit her lip. <em>I'm going crazy. I can't tell the difference between dream and reality.</em></p><p> </p><p>She ran a limp hand through greasy hair.</p><p> </p><p>Sighing and blinking back feeling needing to cry again, She struggled to roll over to one side of the bed facing the window. The view wasn't spectacular, in fact is was quite the opposite, as the window revealed a rather grey view of Seoul. A view that always brought her back to reality.</p><p> </p><p>There were other more pressing things to worry about like her impending heart surgery to fix a congenital heart murmur that had been otherwise unknown before her year long coma. And then there was the intensive physical therapy that they were going to start soon. After laying in bed for a year all her muscles had atrophied.</p><p> </p><p>However, looking out the window at the cloud formations she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had actually been a mother. It had been a long and hard labor because she'd been so weak —but it had been forgotten by the overwhelming joy of holding her baby. Seeing her daughter’s shining eyes blink back at her and feeling her tiny fingers wriggle and curl around her one of her own had filled the empty husk that had remained after... after...? What?</p><p> </p><p>The child had been so beautiful. Hadn’t she given the child a name? The baby had been a girl —hadn’t it? The baby had looked just like him. Him? She couldn’t actually remember what "him" looked like now that she was awake...</p><p> </p><p>This memory of him was one of those vague shadowy memories of a dream that the harder you think about it the more elusive it becomes —like all the subtle details of a photograph that keep shifting. She could clearly picture him standing with his back to her. His hair immaculately swept up into tight top knot. Her work. Her work? He wore a full length royal hanbok loosely belted at the waist in the Goryeo style of a royal. Royal? How did she known that random fact? Had "him" been a royal?</p><p> </p><p>When she had first woken up. Which was apparently a miracle according to her mom and all the hospital staff (since she’d been a coma for over a year), she’d been able to remember everything clearly as if she had really experienced it. She’d been there. She’d experienced falling in love quickly and then again slowly. She’d experienced what it felt like to have someone love you so much they’d placed their life on the line for you and then the searing pain of rejection by that very same person. She’d even been willing to place her life on the line for a woman that she’d looked up to as a mother and she’d even been married….</p><p> </p><p>But to whom....? The... king? Which...one? Hadn’t there been more than just one in the dream?</p><p> </p><p>——————————Go Hajin———————————————<br/>Go Hajoon’s Apartment, South Korea<br/>October, 03, 2016 — Morning</p><p> </p><p>Still even five months later after a year in a coma. She would find herself panicking. She had woken up this morning five months after being discharged from the hospital a total mess because she couldn't find her hanbok. How was she supposed to go to work in the Damiwon without her uniform?! She couldn’t even imagine how much trouble she be in if she was even a few minutes late to the palace morning routine. Already there was a number of small bruises on her knuckles from Court Lady Oh’s cane. All of them from her many previous minor infractions of rigid palace rules that she’d somehow managed to make in her first few weeks as a Junior Court Lady.</p><p> </p><p>But after a quick glance down at her hand to expected bruises <em>--Huh? What? Where are...?</em></p><p> </p><p>She'd frantically dug through her closet for about another few minutes before her she remember that it was all just a dream. There was no Damiwon, no palace and no Court Lady Oh --they were all made up by her overly active brain trying to make sense of the emotional trauma she'd experienced before her year in a coma.</p><p> </p><p>This episode was fortunately not as scarring as the ones that had plagued her when she’d first woken up.</p><p> </p><p>She let her eyelids close as she focused on slowing down her heart rate. Breath by breath. This practice was becoming a normal routine as the number episodes were becoming fewer.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>B</em>
  <em>reath in, it’s October 3rd, 2016, breath out.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Breath in, I’m living in Seoul, in an apartment, I share with my brother, breath out, not a palace.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Breath in, I was in a coma for a year, breath out, not in Goryeo.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Breath in, it was only dream, Breath out, none of those things actually happened…</em>
</p><p><em><br/></em>The bland black and white plastic wall clock that always hung slightly askew ticked in rhythm with her heart.</p><p> </p><p>Her eyelids flicked open.</p><p> </p><p>She was just Go Hajin, a pre-med student.</p><p> </p><p>Late for her Anatomy and Physiology exam.</p><p> </p><p>She bit her lip.</p><p> </p><p>Cracking her neck to the side while stretched her arms above her head in an effort to fully shake off the feeling from her dream</p><p> </p><p><em>Court Lady Oh? that was a new one.</em> She vaguely recalled dreaming about the Goryeo period last night.<br/>Casting a glance around the messy room to have a look at her self in a mirror. <em>What are you going to do with that greasy hair?</em> She was wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of joggers and had dark circles under her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>She let out an audible groan.</p><p> </p><p><em>Aigoo… I'll have to shower, and… </em>her thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl from her stomach… <em>I'll need to eat something… ughhh… had normal life been this difficult... before?</em> Why hadn't her hard work payed off? She'd finally landed a job working as skin care specialist for a plastic surgeon in one of the trendier neighborhoods —but since Jaehwa. Hajin pulled a face in the mirror at the thought of that pig. <em>--that sick son of bitch went off the deep end --and because I'm his "girlfriend" my reputation got smeared alongside his… the motherfucker...</em></p><p> </p><p>The day after she had come out of the coma, her mother had started badgering her about going back to school to study medicine in the US. Using her near death experience as an excuse for Hajin, to “re-start” her life and choose a “better” path. Eventually she’d agreed to it because, honestly, her mother was right —the universe had granted her a second chance —perhaps she shouldn’t let it go to waste. And after using her time in the hospital to study, she had managed to get into a less prestigious university in Seoul. However, it did have a transfer agreement with some state school in the US. She would take her first two years of undergrad here in Seoul, along with english language proficiency courses and then if she was able to keep her GPA above a 3.3 she would transfer to the state school in the US where she would be given a decent scholarship for the last two years.</p><p> </p><p>That was the plan.</p><p> </p><p>Things had been good the first term with her renewed desire to change her destiny or some odd shit like that had driven her and she had been able to maintain the desired GPA. however, since this second term had started her life had become a bit of a cascading mess. Starting with her lack of interest in completely any or her homework. And hating the hour and half long commute via bullet train and bus to and from the school from her mom’s apartment outside Seoul. Her mother had fluctuated between hovering mother hen and your classic Asian parent. And at 25 years old and a near death experience she couldn’t handle it anymore. How was she supposed to become a doctor, take it easy and find a good boy to marry at the same fucking time?! One frustrated night she’d packed one bag, taken a taxi and shown up on her brother’s doorstep in Seoul. He had managed to land a job as a junior detective in some unremarkable district in Seoul and had moved into a small 2 bedroom flat in some equally unremarkable neighborhood in Seoul. Knowing his workaholic tendencies —there was definitely no way that he’d managed to find a roommate yet. He’d instantly agreed to let her stay and she never left.</p><p> </p><p>During her time in the hospital they had grown closer, Go Hajin and Go Hajoon or Joonie as she called him, had never been that close growing up. He was her studious kid brother, and she was his hang-loose older sister. But either out of guilt or fear of losing her again, Joonie, had faithfully shown up in the hospital nearly everyday.</p><p> </p><p>He was all she had. She’d tried to reconnect with her old friends, they’ed gone out clubbing couple times, but after couple of drinks she’d called her brother and asked him to pick her up —leaving the club early. A first it had seemed to fill the void.</p><p> </p><p>But, in the end it had made her feel worse.</p><p> </p><p>She’d run into Mikyong at one of these outings —since they still moved in the same friend group, and yet somehow she hadn’t even cared that her boyfriend had cheated on her with Mikyong causing her to spend a year in a coma. At first she had been furious at them, but… honestly… it some how didn’t seem to matter now… like school, her mother and even Jaehwa…</p><p> </p><p>In fact the more she thought about it she couldn’t even find it in herself to be angry at Jaehwa.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe she was going crazy.</p><p> </p><p>This right now… this… didn’t feel like living. It was as if someone had sucked the color out of her world.</p><p> </p><p>—————————Go Hajin————————————————<br/>Seoul, South Korea<br/>October, 07, 2016 — Midnight</p><p> </p><p>Rain.</p><p> </p><p>Hajin stumbled a little while trying to climb a flight of steps and ended up falling on her butt. How had her life come to this?</p><p> </p><p>After being convinced by a couple of her classmates that after sitting next to them for the past month she still didn’t know their names that it would be a good “de-stressor” to going clubbing that evening after a particularly hard Organic Chemistry exam. The start of the night had been fun, but after a number of party foul shots she’d decided that she was done for the evening and had ended up walking home —alone, drunk and in the rain without an umbrella.</p><p> </p><p>Glancing around to get her bearings in the <em>—where even am I? Aishh… </em>Hajin drunkenly fumbled with her purse to pull out her phone. <em>Why didn't I call Joonie from the club... that's right... the full moon... </em>She'd told Joon earlier this evening that she was just going to use the light from the moon to find her way back to his apartment. Wiping the rain off her face she laughed contemptuously at her previous self for her "fool-proof plan.</p><p> </p><p>however, the moon this evening really was so full and... sad. Squinting to look up against the falling rain --familiar words form on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>“When the water has run dry, sit and watch for the rising clouds.”</p><p> </p><p>What did those words even mean? Why would you just sit down and wait for rain…?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I guess I should just call Joonie... I'm even starting to say strange things</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The cold rain on her face had sobered her up enough and using the concert wall the help her stand back up, She turned around to get a better reading on her bearings. <em>Didn’t Joonie work around here somewhere?</em> Had she mindlessly walked this way out of habit?</p><p> </p><p>Cursing at the sudden bright light of her phone screen on drunk eyes, a sudden movement across the street catches her eye.</p><p> </p><p>A lone male figure also walking without an umbrella.</p><p> </p><p>"Shit."</p><p> </p><p>Panic. This part of the city —though near the district police station —wasn’t known for being the safest.</p><p> </p><p><em>Oh god, this is how my story ends. A pathetic, crazy and drunk Jane Doe. Murdered by some homeless bastard for drug money on a rainy night.</em> She didn’t even know what time it was… <em>hadn’t Joonie said something to her about the most violent crimes happening at… ahhh… 2am? Wait, that was deaths in hospitals and nursing homes.…</em></p><p> </p><p>"Uggghhh… idiot" <em>Brain, why are you using this moment to space out?!</em></p><p> </p><p>Out of habit she patted her chest.</p><p> </p><p>The dim light of an old street little blinked.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Patting her heart some more.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>This is Seoul, there’s CCTV everywhere. Right? No one would be that stupid…?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>… why wasn’t Joon picking up?!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Quick glance back across the street told her the lone figure had stopped moving. <em>He's definitely homeless. Oh God, is he staring at me now?!?</em> This is it… she’d have to make a run for it…</p><p> </p><p>“Noona? You there?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yahhh! Joonie! There you are. I’m drunk. Its raining, and I’m not that far from your work… Can you come pick me up?!”</p><p> </p><p>“You okay?!”</p><p> </p><p>“Where are you? I told you call me from the club whenever you needed a ride”</p><p> </p><p>Before she could reply that she was probably just panicking over nothing, Joon’s practiced calm voice cut in.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m leaving the house right now… I’ll be there in a few minutes —can you get to the police station? You’ll be safe there. Avoid dark alleyways, and unlit corners… do you want me to stay on the phone with you in case of anything?”</p><p> </p><p>Hajin mumbled an affirmative. The rumble of a motor through the receiver comforted her heart in the knowledge that Joon was -definitely- on his way.</p><p> </p><p>“Noona, just keep walking up the hill, turn left onto the first street after the weird staircase on the right —you’ll know it when you see it. Noona, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Don’t panic. Take a few deep breaths while you walk…”</p><p> </p><p>“…When you get to the station, just tell the officer at the front desk you’re my sister —they’ll understand" <em>Great, so everyone at his work knows about Joon's crazy older sister</em> "… Kai, might be working late —and he'd definitely offer you a cup of camomile tea if you--" <em>Camomile tea would be nice right now...</em> "...-wise you'll end up with that awful instant coffee in the vending machines."</p><p> </p><p> "Do you see the weird little staircase up ahead of you?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>If you want a little more backstory on Kai... read Time Between Wolf-Dog Prince and Moonlover. ;) </p><p>Also, I'm sorry that my writing is quite rough in places. I really do try to edit and proof-read everything, but I'm not really a writer and one of the reasons for undertaking this project was to improve my writing skills.</p><p>Sorry, because I'm an idiot and just now noticed the "Rich Text" button --this chapter is formatted a little differently than the last. I'll go back and edit the first chapter to match this one later.</p><p>Enjoy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">————————————Jeon Kai—————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The District Police Station, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That Same Evening</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Rain tapped against the glass and left little trails down the window before vanishing.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was a full moon tonight —at least if the cloud cover hadn’t been there it would be. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Another late night at the police station. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, massaged his face with the palms of hands letting his fingers run threw the mess of short hair as he tried to push away the tired and focus on the case. he’d spent a good portion of yesterday and all of today pouring over these previous smaller case reports. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">How many more of these reports that were vaguely related to Mao’s dealings would he have to suffer through before he’d find a useful piece of information that the prosecutor could use?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Flicking his eyes over the two piles on his desk —one containing previous cases he’d yet to read and other containing the ones’s he'd already read.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Mao had so many ventures, investments and dealings that he’d managed to show up in numerous smaller unrelated cases that it had been difficult to find a lead —however, a little over a year ago after He’d been brought onto a small task force working to build an actual case against Mao one had presented itself. Since he’d previously worked directly with Mao, and with Mao finances —the prosecutor hoped that he could spot something new —something that they would miss. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’d just started working in the SWAT department as a lieutenant in one of the downtown districts across the city when a prosecutor choose him to lead a new task force assigned to find solid evidence on Mao. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Five years ago he’d worked with the police to bring down a major drug deal that had only implicated Mao —since he’d only been given some of the information (for that very reason). After witnessing one of his patrons overdosing on a drug, that he’d been assured was just “happy-time-medicine,” perfectly safe and something that everyone did at clubs to have a “good-time.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Watching the fragile body thrash uncontrollably on the floor while struggling to breath had been…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Horrifying. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And they’d been the one to sell her the drug.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The scene had brought back memories of his brothers…. Mu…. Yo… dying. He’d thrown up in a sink from the waves of nausea brought on by the memories. All he could see was Mu thrashing in his bed gasping for air under the influence of mercury, just days before a living hell broke out over the palace…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The girl had died on the way to the hospital.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In the following weeks all he could think about was —how many. <em>How many had he killed by selling this drug for Mao?</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>He was trash</em>. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">No better than an animal.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s1">Again.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He might be Kai in this life and Kai, might be destined to live out the rest of his sorry life in prison --but he sure as hell wasn’t going to be someone’s dog in this life again.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That evening he’d decided to betray Mao. He’d given the police everything in his desk and laptop --anything he had that connecting himself to the club, and Mao.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The judge and prosector determined that since he hadn’t been directly connected to her death, and because of his willingness to completely cooperate with the police —they would commute his sentence to only four years in prison, but it would stay on his record or they would give him a clean slate if he willingly enlisted in the military and served active duty for the whole four years. Plus another 9 years in the reserves (author’s note: I started researching into how the Korean military/judicial system/police functioned… and decided that I was just getting bogged down… I mean we already have people zooming about in time which isn’t real…. so I’m magical hand-waving on how the actual Korean judicial system works…. forgive me). </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He hadn’t even had to think twice.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He accepted the deal and enlisted the next day.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The choice was essentially a prison sentence, but it also served to protect him —since he was a key witness in the case they were working tobuild against Mao, and finally it would function as a way to “rehabilitate” him from the life of a “gangster” into a member of society.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Active duty in the military? Were they kidding? He’d grown up fighting. He had been a prince in a military family after all. Well he and half of his other 25 brothers. They’s all been trained as generals for their father.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">By the end of the four years he’d made Staff Sergeant. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The choice to join the police force after completing his four years had been based purely on what he knew best.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Fighting and Defending justice.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Had he had any other defining talents back in Goryeo? He hated politics and “modern day science” had made his head spin when Hwa had tried to describe how it all worked —and to be honest he still wasn’t sure if it didn’t just all run on magic. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’d learned to not ask about how anything in this world worked, but to ask only, “how do I make it work?” This South Korea he’d found himself in was… easy living. Everything was done for you. Learning how to use a computer had been the hardest thing to learn but in order to run a club in downtown Seoul, he’d had to learn the basics. He also thanked every deity, that Hae Soo had left her Chinese character workbooks and journals at the palace. Years after she’d left the palace he’d stumbled upon them in his personal library and poured large amounts of his free time as king into deciphering her strange script… Because of them he’d learned how to read most everything in this strange world.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Shortly after waking up here Mao had transferred him to Seoul. The day he’d first seen Seoul he’d been overwhelmed by the sheer size of the buildings and skyscrapers. He had dumbly misinterpreted them as castles inhabited by giants. Motor vehicles had been another awesome, frightening and exhilarating discovery.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When he’d enlisted he taken on the last name of Jeon (author's note: Jeon, is actually a modern form of family name Wang, like Go, is the modern form of Hae). Apparently, the old Kai didn’t have any proper identification, so part of the deal had with serving those four years in the military instead of prison was an official Korean citizenship. He would become Jeon Kai --Korean citizen born in Thailand.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai raise his eyebrows a exhaled a simple smile escape while gazing at his refection in the dark window —these last few years since he’d woken up here after living out his life as Gwangjong in 9th century Goryeo certainly been a whirlwind.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At one point during basic training after a required course covering on Korea’s history and famous battles including one that he’d personally fought in —he’d finally decided to look into what all history said of Gwangjong and Goryeo. It had alarmed him to hear his instructor refer to the nation as if it had happened millennia ago.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That evening had been one hell of shocking night full of wikipedia articles. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, glanced back at the piles of paper on the desk to the empty coffee mug in his hand to the simple clock on the desk. <em>1:46am. </em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Perhaps it’s time to head home.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, even as Gwangjong or Goryeo always had an affinity for rain. Hadn’t it been the rain that had proclaimed his destiny as the rightful ruler of Goryeo?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Biding goodnight to the officer on duty at the front desk, Kai stepped through the automatic door out into the rain. Taking a moment to reminisce on old memories. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The good memories.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He lifted his hand to fill it with sweet rain water illuminated by the full moon. Smiling he opened his mouth to drink it in. The moon though hidden by the cloud cover was still bright enough through to reveal the refreshing sheets of rain that fell. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A flash of light from a cellphone from across the street caught his eye, illuminating the profile of a young woman.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">What was this young woman doing out here in the rain without a umbrella? Inwardly he kicked himself not carrying an umbrella with him that he could offer this woman. Her clothes that still made his Goryeo sensibilities cringe were obviously drenched and from the way she swayed and needed the help of the wall —she was probably drunk.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Finally noticing him from across the street the woman stole a glance his way.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yahhh!” followed shortly by, “-can you come pick me up?!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">What was it about the slurred voice of that young woman that seemed oddly... familiar? In an effort to be inconspicuous but still within hearing distance of the girl, Kai pulled out his own phone out of a pocket to habitually check it for new messages or emails. Flicking on the home screen, <em>Where there any updates on the case?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">2:04 am.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Aiiishh....Of course no one has sent you anything. You were the last to leave the office.</em> Kai cracked his neck from side to side in an effort release some of the tensions built up from working all day. <em>Tomorrow, </em><em>I'll have Joon start back at the beginning of the other pile, I'm missing somethi</em><em>- </em>There it was again, that same familiar timber in the voice? <em>Where... have I heard that voice before?</em></span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Noona</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>We meet Hajin's younger brother. I like him. I based him off my RL older brother and an amalgam of So's younger brothers --that we like. </p>
<p>I think I explained this in my other fanfic's summary. Because MLSHR, is focused in so much on So/Soo's relationship --I decided that none of So's brothers would be reincarnated to South Korea. However, I didn't want to feel like I was writing Hajin and Kai into a vacuum (i.e. only the two of them exist in this fanfic world they're so centered on the other one) I decided to explore Hajin's relationship with her actual little brother (since she mentions him a couple times in MLSHR) a little more --why did Jung, Beak Ah and Eun all remind her of her little brother?</p>
<p>Also, today I finished fully plotting out this fanfic --now just to fill in the story stuff. You know the hard part where you actually sit down and write. ;P</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————Go Hajoon——————————————————</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seoul, South Korea</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Same Early Morning</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon, pulled the silver Hyundai, into station’s limited parking lot and placed the car in park without bothering to select a parking space.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>What had Noona, been thinking?! I told her so many times before she left to call or text me at the bar when she was ready to go. Aiiiishh…</em>what was with his older sister these days?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The lights from inside the station glowed against the dark night —allowing Joon to make out the silhouette his older sister. She sat in one of the chairs by the front desk sipping on a cup of vending machine coffee.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’d just hung up with her several minutes ago after she’d confirmed that she was standing outside the station. The rain had also stopped around the same time.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She’d always been organized and driven enough… before. Driven to do what she wanted —whether or not their mother had approved of it. He’d known about the shared apartment with Jaehwa, as well as Jaehwa’s gambling problem.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Couldn’t see that ending poorly a mile away… </em>but he’d never tell his Noona that… after her suicide attempt… </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">What had she been thinking when she’d jumped into that reservoir -drunk. The police had ruled it as an attempted suicide since the people on the scene when they’d 119, reported a Jane Doe hadn’t struggled to against the water when she went under —and by the time they’d been able to get her out of the water and start CPR she’d already passed out from the lack of oxygen. Later on at the hospital the lab had run a quick blood test and found she had a high levels of alcohol in her blood.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She’d been rushed to hospital by the team of paramedics, but in a strange turn of events to the paramedic team, Hajin had slipped into a comatose state before they’d arrived at the ER. Her case had confused most of the neurologists brought on to the team of medical staff monitoring her state —in fact she was the first case some had ever seen like this. As a result, there were now a number of short reports submitted to a variety of medical journals by these attending neurologists reviewing the singularity of Jinnie's case. All of them agreed that if there was any brain damage due to the brain’s lack of oxygen it was so minimal that if she were ever to wake-up it wouldn’t hamper her daily life. The other strange artifact, noted was that her brainwaves weren’t normal for someone in a comatose state. Patients in a comatose state don’t dream —but according the MRIs of her brain it appeared that she was not only experiencing dreams —but deeply vivid dreams.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’d just been assigned to a new case with his Sunbae, when moments later his phone had rung to his mother’s terrified voice on the other end informing him that Hajin was in the hospital.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There had been a total eclipse that day.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This is Jeon Kai, he’s been working on this case now for a couple weeks, the city prosecutor has determined that the case they’ve assigned to him as lead is important enough that we’re being assigned to assist him with the detective leg-work needed”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joon was taller and stockier built than Kai, but Kai, a few years his senior made up for it with fact that his frame seemed to be formed entirely out of muscle —which was only accentuated by the cut of his clothes.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Oh boy, why does the police force attract those, “I-need-to-prove-myself-to-world-types?” Kai, looks like he’s always the last one to leave work at 0-dark-thirty —but still finds time to get in the gym every morning. </em>Joon inwardly rolled his eyes at Kai.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Actually they been at the Police Academy together though the only thing that had stuck out to Hajoon about Kai, was this crazy scar that etched down one side of his face. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Oh yeah, that and Kai had graduated at the top of the class. During his graduation speech he’d been struck by how comfortable Kai seemed up there giving the graduating speech. How many of these had sat through where the top graduate stumbled through a quick speech about how thankful he was to his seniors, his parents and who ever else had helped him be the best. But Kai’s speech had been quite different, there was true conviction behind his words. The over achiever had actually quoted ancient Confucian texts about the civil responsibility and how the police should be the shining example of justice to the populous.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Besides his shining military record and high academy scores Kai, had a certain stand-offish nature about him, causing a number of strange rumors to start circulating about him. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A cellphone ring interrupted his handshake with Kai.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Joon-ya!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Mother?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her voice held that specific manic tone reserved only for the most dire situations… generally concerning his older sister.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…its Jin-ya…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Oh boy. She’s finally figured out that Noona and Jaehwa are living toge…</em>“She’s in the hospital…. she attempted……. she’s in a coma…” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The sound of weeping on the other end of the line.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The world slipped away from him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Coma?</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Attempted suicide…?</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The next thing he could remember was grabbing his keys, nodding a quick bow and saying something apologetic Jeon Kai and his Sunbae, Sung Chun-ja, offering that he'd text them later from the hospital when he had more details on his Noona… and with that he'd run out of the room.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He couldn’t even remember how he’d made it to the hospital, he just could clearly remember running into her room located in Intensive Care Unit where his mother sat silently weeping next to his sister’s small comatose body lying supine on a hospital bed. A bed that seemed too white and too large to fit in such a small room. He remembered wrapping his mother in his arms to comfort her in silence. They’d spent the first few days running tests on her brain and other organs to make sure that she hadn’t suffered any internal damage —that they weren’t aware of that might have triggered this comatose state… everything but her heart had turned up clear. Apparently, Jinnie had congenital heart problem —but it was nothing the hospital surgeon couldn’t fix. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They’ed sat there for the first couple days watching the endless stream of hospital caregivers glide in and out of his sister’s room. His arm continually draped around his mother gently rocky her. They listened in a haze as the team of attending physicians and nurses chatted amongst themselves about her case and how unusual it was. During the down times he’d tried to wake Jinnie, by talking to her and by holding her small limp hand in his.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Nothing worked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A few of Noona’s friends had floated in with stuffed animals —obviously bought at the hospital gift shop on there way to see her.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Had no one cared that she seemed to vanish?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jaehwa, had even come. Fortunately, only his mother had been there when he’d come to see Jinnie —<em>if he’d been there —Jaehwa would probably ended up in the hospital… the motherfucker…</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Days had turned into weeks, and eventually he’d had to pick himself up and go to work. Life had returned to a new normal.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Why hadn’t he been a better brother? Why hadn’t he contacted her more —told her what a terrible boyfriend Jaehwa was. Offered to live with her instead? This is was his fault. Why had she thought -that- was the best answer?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The glass door slide open as he calmly stepped into the station’s lobby and bobbed a greeting to one of the officers on duty. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Annyeonghaseyo.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The door noiselessly slipped closed behind him as he removed the jacket he’d been wearing and slipped it around Jinnie’s shivering shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">”Gomawo.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">… Her teeth chattered comically,</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Can we go home now?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon, looked down at the pathetic wet figure of his drunk older sister, and just silently pulled her up from the chair into a hug.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“How times am I gonna have to do this before you just call me? </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A mumbled response was all he heard.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">What am I going to do with you?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Pushing away from the hug and sheepishly looking up at him, Hajin produced one of her best ridiculous grins followed by a slow (drunk) wink and thumbs up.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Take me home?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">If Hajoon didn’t feel partly guilty for the sad state of his older sister he would’ve laughed and offered to take her out for another round of drinks at their favorite bbq spot. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Instead shaking his head in mock disgust he tutted.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yahhh, No barfing in my car on the ride home tonight. I just cleaned up the last time.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Journals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Okay, so this chapter is primarily composed of a "one-off" idea that I came up with after rewatching some of my favorite scenes from MLSHR. It was originally intended to be apart of "Time Between Wolf-Dog Prince and Moonlover." But I could never fully figure out where I wanted it --and didn't have the heart to fully scrap-it, I'm shoe-horning it in here.... &gt;_&gt;</p><p>Also there are a number of homages to other LJG shows speckled throughout this chapter... ^_^</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">————————Jeon Kai—————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai’s Apartment, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Later that Same Early Morning</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“Yahhhh!” </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“Can you come pick me up?!” </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">What was it about the woman’s tone that kept lingering with him the rest of the walk home.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Tapping the code into the lock on the door and pulling open the exterior metal door Kai let the door swing shut behind him. The light automatically flipped on while he pulled his feet out of the black leather sneakers. Blinking. There were some things —he would never get used to.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The whole walk home after hearing that woman’s voice he’d pondered where he’d heard it before —and why his brain told him something about that voice was important —too important to drop.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Why was it that as he walked home it occurred to him that the last time he’d heard -this- voice was… in… Goryeo. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Goryeo? </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A frustrating afternoon that had turned from bad to his worst nightmare. Worst nightmare. Not quite the worst… the worst had been… </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, reached out for the wall to stabilize himself.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“Pyeha…”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’d cut her off right there</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“Starting today you will not see me again.”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That was where he’d heard -that- voice. He slide down the wall until his legs sprawled out in front of him on floor. He flicked his eyes around the room and worked his jaw back and forth.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Why had he said those words. Those words. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Tears pooled in his eyes at the memory —his anger at her had been his only way of conveying the pain of watching her —his only person— be ripped from him. Why had he taken his anger out on her —it felt so pointless now as he sat in the tiny mundane apartment in some neighborhood in Seoul.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>He’d placed a curse upon them both —like the fucking idiot I uttered those words. Why hadn’t just let her finish what she was trying to say… </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">—————Gwangjong Flashback——————————————</span>
</p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">The Palace, Goryeo</span>
</p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Sometime in the 900s</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Gwangjong sat mindlessly flipping through Soo’s journals —journals, sketchbooks and workbooks from her days in the Damiwon, filled with Chinese characters. In these notebooks she’d left enough translations of Hanzi to Hangul that after three years of studying them over and over —he’d become quite adapt at reading her strange script. These were some of his most treasured possessions.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Ji Mong’s parting words that she might not have been from this time-period had struck a chord with him that day.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Her daily journals were often “letters” to people that she would never send —they varied from advise seeking from her mother to random snippets of her daily life. In the first few workbooks there appeared short cryptic notes addressed to her younger brother, whom he assumed was the “Go Hajoon” she often wrote to.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Of her writing habits the most confusing were the short notes that filled the margins of notebooks practicing Hanzi and translating them into the script she referred to as “Hangul.” These little notes that hopelessly and haphazardly filled the margins contained little things like. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Mother, </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">You and grandmother will be proud of me —I finally understand how to put on a Hanbok by myself! I will no longer need your help on festival days!</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">and</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Joonie, </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Omo! I wish you could be there with you since today is your birthday —how does 21 feel? Make sure to have a drink for me! (I’ll make sure to have a drink for us this evening) Did you get accepted into the Korean Army Academy? I miss you —you little turd. I’ve met this kid here in Goryeo, (I know, I got transported back in time somehow, crazy?!? Right?! If I ever get back —you’re not going to believe me) —Jung, that reminds me so much of you. I panicked and like an idiot I tried to save him the other day when He also practices Taekwondo, you’d be super jealous of the height of his and his hyung’s kick’s. It makes my heart hurt when I start to think about how I probably died back in Korea, and after I drunkenly decided to jump into that river to save a kid… in a life jacket… without a life jacket. Aish. Why am I rambling about this to you now?! Fucking punch Jaehwa, for me. That bastard screwed me over taking everything to pay for his fucking gambling debts….and fucked around with my high school best-friend Mikyong —you can punch her too for me….. ulllll whhhyyyy?!?! Annnyway, I pray you’re doing well, sleeping well, eating well.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Everything was there. Everything since the moment she joined the Damiwon, and was required by Court Lady Oh, to read and write in Chinese characters. Her escape from the marriage to his father. Her frustrating obsession with Wook. There were pages where she mused over her friendship with him. There had been the pages of writing were she had freaked out about the evening where he’d been so distraught from his mother’s plotting and twisted words that he'd over-stepped the line of their fragile relationship. His desire to have her and to have her want him back had clouded his judgement and like the hot-head he was, he’d forcibly kissed her. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She’d expressed her feelings about being someone’s arms and until that moment she’d never felt someone truly desire her. This was followed by some rather obscene words and pictures that had made So chuckle as they surrounded the name of “Yoo Jaehwa.” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Apparently, their second meeting in the Damiwon pool had left a rather large impression on her, since there was a rather detailed fantasy surrounding him and her and the Damiwon pool… this girl had missed her calling as a writer…</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">There were pages were she lamented about the lack of “plumbing” and running water. Of being not being able to flip a switch to light up a room. Of the total lack of “feminine products.” The want to just run to the restroom quickly and do your business rather than the laborious task of finding a decent chamber pot and having to go through the process of untying your Hanbok, just to go through the opposite process of retying it all correctly. The want to just put the all the dirty cloths from the palace in a washing “machine” and sit down for a blessed 30 minutes. To be able to wake up early put on sneakers, shorts, t-shirt and listen to her “MP3 player” while going for a run to clear her head. She wrote about missing her “hand-phone” when she suddenly felt the urge to “text” a co-worker an image that was straight out of a saguek they’d both seen on the “television”. Of forgetting that she didn’t have her cellphone and panic searching for it —only to remember that she wasn’t in modern day Korea. Of course she didn’t have a “hand-phone”. Forgetting herself and addressing people incorrectly as well as ranting about the never ending list of palace protocols that one must abide by as a court lady. Missing “karaoke”, “fried chicken and beer.” Of going out on the town to the clubs to sing, dance and drink soju with her co-workers. Music. She missed being able to listen on her favorite artists and let all her worries drown away in music.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">There were multiple drawings of the hairpin that he’d given her with a few doodles of himself and his brothers. There was actually an entire book filled with such drawings —apparently she had been begun writing down a series of short stories in doodle form based on all her various adventures with them. Here there were all her thoughts and feelings that she’d wished she could express to each of the brother individually. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">There were letters that she’d written to him expressing her complex feelings starting from when he claimed her as “his person” to when she’d covered up his scar. Here, she’d drawn a shockingly decent portrait of his face without the cover-up or mask, pondering why such a simple scar back in Goryeo, had been considered such a crime —when It wasn’t even his fault, and that she even found it… attractive? She wrote about So drinking the poison, about So standing by her and sheltering her from the rain. His actions that had moved her unsure heart. Here, there was a letter to her mother about how she had’t even realized that this whole time she’d been falling in love with So. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">There was his simple confession of love.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">The whole thing between his elder brother Yo and his younger brotherEun.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Here, the journaling transitioned (the notes along the journal’s margin become sporadic and consisted of neat notes related to next morning’s tasks in the Damiwon) into two years worth of letters written only to So, where every entry had been addressed to him personally knowing she couldn’t actually send any of these letters fearing what Yo, might make So do. These letters spoke of their memories from star gazing, trying to sing what Soo called “pop-songs,” boat rides and other ridiculous stunts such as secretly teaching her how to ride a horse or walk on a tight-rope.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">These were the letters that contained their memories.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>He’d promised to catch her every-time she fell. This had of course just been an excuse to hold her more. He was however acutely unaware of how many times she’d actually fall —his arms had grown tired of catching her flailing body and he’d accidentally missed catching her. She’d stood up ready to give him a piece of her mind and ended up laughing at his expression and her total lack of competency.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">There was a time she’d tried to make him, “Tteok-bokki” and stolen what she called, “Soju” from the kitchens to prepare So “proper” street-food —After four or five small jugs of “Soju” they’d some how managed to find a room at an inn without either of them being recognized and passed out. They’d had to rely on the Baek-ah and Woo-hee, to cover for them when So, was abnormally missing from the morning council and later that afternoon in the Damiwon, when Soo was supposed to be attending upon his majesty, Mu —with his usual afternoon tea.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She had written about seeing him again and clinging to him for a few fleeting moments. To hear his voice and bury her face in his back once again. To breath in his familiar scent and wish that he would turn and hold her. To hope that he would kiss her like he had before everything fell apart. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>He’d drunk too much that evening at dinner to drown out his anger at Yo for how he’d treated Soo in the throne room —just to remind him that he was still his dog. He had excused himself from dinner to walk off the drink, but had only found himself following the familiar path to their meeting spot by the pond. Removing himself from that hug had taken all his strength of will. After walking back to his room he’d crumpled to floor cursing the Universe for how his life had turned out. He didn’t even remember how he’d had the strength of will to remove himself from the intoxicating scent of her perfume after feeling the quake in her voice against his back when she'd asked if he was doing well? An he couldn’t even recall why he’d been there the next morning. Had he hoped to see her once more before he left? Of course she hadn’t been there. But when he’d turned to leave, there she was. They’d stood there like that in silence —the whole time he’d been trying to make his feet move and yet they seemed to resist him.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She had heard the bow string snap. The shot should have been deadly, but in a blur of a movement, So had chosen her life over his. His arms had protectively wrapped around her as he placed his back directly inline with the arrow’s path while diving for the ground. A moment later she saw pain bloom in So’s eyes as they lay on the ground. Though the arrow buried itself deep into the near by tree. He’d only received a gash across his shoulder from the arrow. Painful, but not deadly with the correct care. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Here along one margin of the journal there appeared to be a packing list as well as a set of directions of how to reach the new palace that he’d been managing the construction on for the past two years of Yo’s reign. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">The next journal entry was dated a month and half later and he quickly recognized his own handwriting —she’d had him write that same letter he and sent her years ago in this journal. At the end of the letter was the red ink and pattern of the King’s seal. He’d written and stamped it —or maybe she’d stamped it. She’d made a good argument that day. The royal seal wasn’t something sacred —it was just a lump of jade dipped in red ink. They’d sneaked it out of the throne room and stamped everything in one of his personal rooms, Later on they’ed panicked and had to clean red ink off everything.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>So, smirked at the memory allowing a small laugh to escape his lips. There was something that day that had stuck with him for years. Nagging him at what she was implying. He’d said something that had made her blush a lovely shade of pink. And then she’d said something about working on a surprise for him… He just needed to wait and see…?</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">There were a number been entries throughout the next month about strange cravings that she’d had that day —most of which were meat (there was a little note here, considering if this is more of sign of a girl, or boy?) or the occasional dish from her “Seoul”. There was a particularly strange journal entry where she outlined the drink called “Coffee.” This drink was familiar to him since he’d often heard her lament about it in mornings to herself. However this particular “Coffee” was labeled as a “Venti caramel frappuccino blended beverage with almond milk an extra shot of espresso, extra shot of hazelnut and extra, extra, extra whipped cream!” She spent the rest of the entry arguing with her mother about whether or not pregnant women should be allowed have “Caffeine.” Entries in her journal after these became more sporadic and were in the only ones in her final journal, and she often spoke of things called “Hormones” and the mood swings they frequently gave her. Mornings spent sick in bed with a chamber pot.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Often she would wake up next to him ill, and need to stay in bed all day. He’d sent for the palace doctor on those mornings which after examination had only reassured them that it was just another symptom of her blood disease.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She had left this last notebook tucked underneath the Wedding Hanbok when she left. There were perhaps others at Jung’s residence, but Jung —never the studious type would ever care to read anything written in them. To be fare he personally wouldn’t have ever known or cared about what was written in these journals if Yeon Hwa and her brother, hadn’t tried digging-up dirt on Soo by presenting him with a stack of these journals claiming them as hard evidence on Soo-ya. She’d made the outrageous claim that Soo was spy form another country. He’d denied the claims, but just incase the rumor grew he’d quietly hidden them away in his personal library. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">While searching for a manuscript couple years later he’d stumbled upon them again. A neat pile where they’d been left after her death. After her death he’d poured over the books like a starving man searching any last scraps of food —hoping to find a piece of herself that she’d left behind. He’d found various short notes that he could read, also a large amount of doodles and drawings —but the majority of the journals were written in Soo’s special script. After the rediscovery two years later —he’d worked methodically reverse engineering the script with the use of her practice notebooks. Notebooks that she’d spent working on writing in Chinese characters. Once a simple understanding of the script had been achieved, So had been able to start reading the larger portions of her journals.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Three years after he’d learned to read the strange script was when he’d caught Jung at the palace. He’d brought his daughter to palace. Most shocking, was seeing Soo’s hairpin tucked into the child’s hair. The very same hairpin that he’d given Soo as a token of his affection. But It wasn’t the hairpin that had almost caused him make a regretful choice of forcing the child to leave her father and stay with him in the palace, it was the familiarity in the child’s face and mannerisms. She was like a tiny and even more adorable version of Soo.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">On the walk back to his quarters —something Jung said reminded him of Soo’s final letter.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">In the margin of the final entry —near a date almost a month and 1/2 after the letter he’d written in her notebook there was as a small note about missing her third period in a row. This note like many of these little notes fell amongst the various other short notes that were a total loss on him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">My Dear So, </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">if you ever manage to find a way to read any of these journals, I have one last parting gift to give you. My honesty. In the last few days, my actions have been lies, clouded in anger at the loss of you, and my poor sister, Chae. But despite the anger, it still pains me greatly to sell you this lie. However, it was one that I needed to sell it in order to protect a person now very dear to me. Since I don’t think I have very long to live, I need to conserve all my strength to save this person. I believe Hae Soo, was born with what people from modern day Korea, would call a “Congenital Heart Disease.” Any technology required to diagnose and treat this disease won’t be invented for hundreds years, its possible that I only have a year to live left since the pains of living in the palace have been so great on this body. I’m leaving to live with Jung and to hopefully give this person I want to save a better life outside the confinesand pain of the palace —this is my last wish —you always spoke of helping me leave the palace —please So, grant my last wish for our precious person.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Always remember —I love you.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Go Hajin/Hae Soo</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1"><em>Who, was this person that she had thrown him away to save? This letter had used a similar phrase to what Jung had said about the child.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Like the gears on a clock slowly clicking into place.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>The hairpin on the child. The child. It couldn’t be —could it?</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“…Our precious person.”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1"><em>“Our.” —</em>The letter was addressed to him personally.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">So’s heart raced.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>In the last few entries there had been multiple mentions of babies… and pregnancy. How had missed it the first time he’d read</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>through these books?! The sudden illness, the timeline…. What was the timeline? How long had she been with him and not told him she was pregnant. The night he’d finally proposed at the prayer towers —she’d given him poor reason for why she was refusing his offer of marriage. Had she known then?</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">So riffled though the pile of books spread out on his desk. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>He suddenly remembered what he’d said that had made her blush and giggle. “You won’t be bored for much longer, as you’ll have our children to take care of.” and then she’d replied through through her blush and respond conspiratorially “I’m working on a surprise for you —just you wait and see.” </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Furious at himself. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Why hadn’t he caught on then? He been thinking about the future when he’d brought the subject up to Soo. In his daily meeting that morning with the ministers a list of dates best for conceiving an heir had been presented to him by the temple priests. He’d never placed much stock in any of thing the Temple Priests thought —but the thought of conceiving an heir with Soo had left him feeling rather light-headed.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Here it was. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">There was date on the entry with the packing list —only a few days before she’d arrived at construction site. Baek-ah had coached her on how to get there without being tracked by Yo’s men or noticed by So’s upon entry to the construction site.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She’d dressed and cared for his festering wound that had sent him into a fevered delirium.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">He’d woken up during the night after the fever had broken. His wound had been cleanly dressed and was healing, Stranger yet —he’d been dressed in a freshly cleaned set of clothes.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">However after a quick glance around the room, there leaning against the wall at the foot of his bed sat Soo-ya, asleep.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>She had actually come and treated his shoulder. He’d left the palace before he could get it properly seen too, so as to avoid any further contact with Soo. How had she even found him here…?</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">A lone floor board creaked has he crouched down.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>What was she doing here… outside the palace…Yo’s shot had been a strong reminder that he was still his Dog. Don’t you know… the fresh scent of peonies… intoxicating… She always smelled like the warmth of spring…</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She was here. With him. Outside the palace.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">After two long years, in the span of few days where she’d swept by him with all the proper poise and etiquette of high ranking court lady, had caused all of the lies he’d continually repeated to himself —vanished. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>His Soo-ya was even more beautiful than he remembered. The years he’d been away had brought an elegant grace to her features —no longer was she the tom-boyish and fresh faced beauty that had originally captured his heart —sitting here right now in his room was a woman. Her trial in the palace had only made her more beautiful to him. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">His finger tips brushed her cheek bone and her eye-lids fluttered open</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Caught. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">He’d panicked the moment she woken and had tried to send her away.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">“I trust you..”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Her words hung in air filling the void around them.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Silence.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">“I will ask you again”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t lie to me…”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">“Answer me”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Her voice shook.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">“Do you… “</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">“Still..”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">“Love me?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">After more than two years apart those words had sent a shock wave through his core, melting any of remaining ice surrounding his heart.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>More than life itself. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>She was his person. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Completely his person. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>But he couldn’t… </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>But…</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Standing there alone in a little room with her. Outside the palace. Outside the grasp of Yo or… anyone else.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>He didn’t care.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>In that moment he didn’t want to fight his true feelings.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>General Park be damned. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Yo be damned. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>The whole fucking palace be damned.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>He loved her. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">That first kiss had been the only way he could completely express himself in the moment. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">He felt hands tighten around his back as she moved to deepen the kiss. The exhilaration. The room seemed to all but vanish around them. And for the small eternity that opened up around them in that moment —she was his whole world. She was everything.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">He freely gave himself to her. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">When he’d finally pulled back as to not overwhelm her —silent tears of relief ran down both her cheeks.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">He felt desire pulsed through his body. He kissed her again but this time with more urgency, slipping one arm around her waist while stepping further into the embrace to pull her deeper until their bodies connected liked he'd done the first time she’d let him kiss her.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">In the quiet of the night, they were alone. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Outside the palace.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">————Hae Soo————</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She could feel the shortening in his breaths and the growing waves of heat radiating off his body. Her head spun as her own pulse raced. Her own body was beginning to respond in anticipation —were they really going to do this? </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Did she want this? <em><br/>
</em></span>
</p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Yes. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Yes, oh god she wanted this more than anything. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>She wanted him. All of him.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Her hands that had been resting on his back connected with the skin just at the top of his pants. His kisses began moving down her neck as she timidly run her hands up the front of his jacket</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>It would only take one pull on the tie to open his jacket.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Before she could get any further, she let out a little gasp of surprise as her back connected with wall behind her. Sometime during their kisses he must have maneuvered them up against the wall. She was wet with anticipation. She pulled on the ties that closed his jacket letting one side slip open.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">At the same time one side of her jacket gently slipped off her shoulders as the hand that had been cradling her face begun to follow the curve of her bare shoulder and run down her back taking the other side of the jacket with it.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She let the silk shell of her jacket slide down her arms and pool at her feet.</span>
</p><p class="p4"> </p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">————Wang So————</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">For a short moment they stood there. So, heaving against his building uncontrollable desire, as his jacket now hanging lazily open, While Soo stood before him in her white high waisted underskirts —the only thing keeping her chest covered. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">For this one short moment they had stood their silently gazing at one another.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Soo lips formed a small smirk as she tilted her head coquettishly to the side —and then she jumped. She had straddling his waist with her legs and grasping him around the neck with her hands. She had finished off the display of passion by undoing the ties that held up underskirts.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">He’d stood there frozen in shock for moment. However her display had garnered her the intended result of unleashing his desire upon her. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">It was their first time. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Followed by many others for the remainder of the week outside the palace.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">In those five blissful days the palace had been all but forgotten and for the first time since Mu had gone mad —they had just been two people in love.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Soo-ya had brought the sun back into his life.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">He had always regretted not taking that moment to just runaway and leave the palace behind them. They could start over in Qing, and live comfortably —he’d developed connections from his days as an ambassador.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">But, he couldn’t do that anymore he’d seen how the people of Goryeo were suffering. And as king he could stop this endless cycle of killing among the royals that effected his people. They were his responsibility.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">As king he could help his people.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Shaking himself back to the reality of a desk full of dusty notebooks and…. the child that was undoubtedly… his.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“…I’m leaving to live with Jung and to hopefully give this person I want to save a better life outside the confinesand pain of the palace —this is my last wish…grant my last wish for our precious person.”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Soo had been pregnant with his child when she’d left the palace to be Jung’s “wife.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">That child had looked to be around the age of five or six… too old to be the offspring of Jung’s current wife. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Also, why had Jung feel the need to only bring the child to Soo’s prayer tower?</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">She was perfect.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">He’d never cared for the brats he’d been forced to conceive with Yeon Hwa for the sake of the royal line —He was well aware that they were nothing more than another means of consolidating more Hwangbo power over the people.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">But this was different —this child was his and Soo’ya’s —born out of their love.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">———————-End of So/Kai Flashback———————————</span>
</p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Kai’s Apartment, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p4">
  <span class="s1">Same Early Morning</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai’s gaze slide around the mundane little apartment as the memories of those journals flooded back through his mind. His gaze finally landing on the simple grey square resting on table in the center of the room. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His laptop.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Maybe his arriving here hadn’t just been dismal karma.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Maybe they were connected.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<em>In regards to Lady Hae Soo, I don’t think she was from this world. When you think back on things, there are many instances you will realize it”</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ji Mong’s words seemed to be confirmed by the writings in her journals and by her actions. She’d always had said the most refreshing and audacious things. From the very first moments after he’d met her. She seemed to function more a kin to the people living in Korea today than to anyone he’d ever met in Goryeo.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“If we had met in another Korea, at another time, I was thinking how great that would have been… if only that could be… I wouldn’t fear anything, I could freely… truly… love you all I wanted.”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai flicked open the laptop. The browser was already open from some other case related search he’d completed that morning… or rather yesterday’s morning since it was now close to 3:15 in the morning of… tomorrow.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Fingers hesitantly found the correct keys as he typed into the search bar:</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hae Soo goryeo period</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The browser brought up a series of pages surrounding the topics of the following:</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Goryeo period Korea. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Taejo the founder of Goryeo. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gwangjong. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Artifacts and artwork of the Goryeo period.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A random add for face masks.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Three kingdoms of Gogoryeo, Silla and Baekje</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Shine or Go Crazy.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Goryeo period artwork on loan from North Korea on display in Seoul Art Museum.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joseon period Korea.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Goryeo period artifacts found in North Korea.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Baby names.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hae family name.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The list went on. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’d already explored a number of historical sites surrounding the topics of his reign, and not one of made mentioned a concubine or royal consort named Lady Hae Soo. He couldn’t even find anything except a simple listing of Jung as one of his brothers. Nothing about Jung’s children</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hopeless. History and the present day had seemed to forget the one person he was trying to remember. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He leaned back from the computer for a moment letting his tired eyes close.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Coffee. He needed a cup of coffee… or sleep, his body seemed to want the later… No. He needed to do this now while the woman’s voice was still in his head. But hadn’t he done this very thing multiple times before when in one of his depressive mood swings. There had been an eclipse sometime last year that triggered one of these swings. The eclipse had caused him to remember saving and meeting Hae Soo for the first time. He’d spent a weekend passed out drunk on the floor of his apartment as a result. His partner, Choi Jong-soo, had woken him up by banging down the front door announcing that Kai, was now officially late for work and that it would only be the two of them working the case this week since the new kid, Go Hajoon’s older sister was at the hospital in a critical condition and that Joon’s partner Sung Chun-ja, would probably be there with him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai sat up. Eclipse. Ji Mong, had out of character mentioned that Hae Soo, was possibly from another “world” the day of an eclipse. Had he been trying to tell him something with that hint? They could track eclipses —couldn’t they —hadn’t they been able to do that back during his reign? Excitement bubbled up with in him at this latest prospect —why hadn’t he ever pursued this angle before? What day has been that last full eclipse across Korean?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai flicked open a new tab on the laptop and searched for.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">South Korea eclipse.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Failure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sorry, for not posting anything on Monday --I was visiting my parents since the stay at home ordinance has been lifted in the state I live in and while visiting my parents I wasn't able to do any writing/editing.</p>
<p>But to make up for it --I might be posting two chapters tomorrow depending on how far I get. I spent most of today writing. This however is a short sketchy chapter that I meant to post yesterday on Monday.</p>
<p>I would like to thank those of you that have read these first few chapters and either left notes or kudos.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———————Go Hajin——————————————————</span>
</p>
<p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Go Hajoon’s Apartment, South Korea</span>
</p>
<p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">October, 07, 2016 — Noon</span>
</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“…My only Queen.”</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin’s eyes opened.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">This had been one of the dreams again. The masked man with the tears in his eyes calling her his queen. The sad king. Something about these dreams always caused her to wake up and cry… which only to left her feeling even worse since it was just a dream.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>Aigoo…</em> </span>
</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin sat up rubbing the sleep from her face and eyes and messaged her headache riddled head from last night’s drinking adventures. She’d been too drunk last night to remember to take the proscribed sleeping medication and had another one of those “PTSD dreams.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">A quick glance at the wall clock told her that she had already slept through her first class and was now late for her second class. Organic Chemistry 311. </span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Fuck. Why hadn’t Joonie woken me up this morning? Why can’t I pull myself back together these days? </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Why had she decided to walk home last night and found herself lost and in the rain?</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin stumbled toward the bathroom. <em>I guess I’ll just skip classes today again… its not like I’m going to pass them at this rate. At this rate I’m only taking them to save face with my mother…</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She’d probably get kicked out of the university if she failed two more of these classes. Where had her ability to study gone? Maybe it was truly time to just drop them and try to move on with her life. <em>Should I actually try to make myself presentable to society today?</em> Shopping was always fun —right? Joonie had even given her a credit card —that she was supposed to use to build good credit with…</span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Breakfast had been a western style bowl of cold cereal and milk. She distinctly remembered thinking while prepping the bowl that she’d desperately missed this level of convenience in the mornings she spent as a Court Lady in the Damiwon.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Court Lady? Damiwon? Oh god… here I go again…</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>—————————————</em>Go Hajin<em>———————————————</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Myeongdong, South Korea</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">October, 07, 2016 — Later that afternoon</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The streets around the Myeongdong, district were as always —packed. Fortunately, because most people were still working during these hours Hajin, had been able to easily slip in an out of the shops quickly.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hours passed as she wandered aimlessly.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Now Hiring” </span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The bright sign was plastered in the window next to door. This morning after missing both of her classes she’d been determined to just quit university and pay-off her school debt. Since her grades started falling she’d begun trying to contact the dermatologist that she’d worked for before about current openings, but as expected none of the emails shed sent out had ever been replied to.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The shop was for a new skin care brand that she’d never heard of before —but seemed interesting since all their products were based off ancient skin care remedies --updated with the use of organic ingredients and essential oils. The type of products that were very “en vogue” with young beauty gurus on social media these days.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The position was for the sales counter, with bonuses if she was able to hit her monthly sales goal.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After a short conversation with the manager, where all it had taken was the name of the beauty school, she’d graduated from and dermatologist that she’d worked for —and the woman offered her the position right there on the spot.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin had stood there watching the woman’s perfectly red lips moving and shaping sounds into words in that precise well practiced customer service manner without actually paying any attention to what she was saying… <em>Hadn’t the masked man in her dreams said something else about being “his person” earlier in the dream when he hadn’t been wearing a mask? Hadn’t she clearly glimpsed his face as his was saying this…?</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…You’ll start tomorrow —if possible……Hello? Honestly, if you really want the position —you’re going to learn to quit spacing out like this…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin, shocked back to reality by the waving of a fashionably manicured hand in her face, bobbed a bow offering an apology about how she hadn’t eaten in a while and wasn’t expecting to having the job offer at the end of such an impromptu interview and that she would do her very best to stay focused and always hit her monthly sales goal.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thank, Thank you so much!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">To make up for her earlier error she continued to bob a number of quick little bows of respect to her new manager as she turned around to leave the trendy little shop.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Well, now you have a job again. However, Mother, will be an emotional wreck whenever I finally tell her I quit medical school to become a shop girl… this job isn’t even using my license… that I'm still paying off the loans for…</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Aiishhh…</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>———————————</em>Go Hajin———————————————</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Go Hajoon’s Apartment, South Korea</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That Evening</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin held the phone away from her ear —her mother was definitely taking this news worse than she’d taken it the first time she’d decided to not attend medical school…</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Mother!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Mother I don’t even want to be a doctor! I’m just sick of school —I can’t focus in any of my classes, and… ”</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m failing all my classes this term!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Besides Joon, was doing a fine job of taking care of them both with his job at the Police Station. <em>Why do I need to make a fortune by becoming a doctor somewhere in America? I don’t even want to move to America. I just wanted to curl up and sleep…</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her english skills had proven to be rustier than she remembered, when she’d started taking the proficiency courses this last term she’d found that she was well behind the rest of the class —since everyone else in the class had spent summers and holidays in America —on their parent’s penny. </span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The line on the other end went silent.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hajin! Hajin —are you even listening to me?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She bit her lip —she’d spaced out again.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m sorry mother —I’m going to work at the cosmetics counter —at least until I can get a job using my license.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Silence.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The cellphone screen lit-up informing her that the call had been ended.</span>
</p>
<p class="p4"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Aiii…. her mother was so angry that she’d actually hung-up on her… </em>
  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I think I might start adding some notes down here about what I'm currently watching --since I'm such an avid Kdrama fan and watch them at a truly ungodly rate. So I've suddenly found myself on a Thriller/Borderline Horror/Detective kick after watching 356 Repeat the Year, Vagabond (great lead actor --truly terrible everything else) and Forest of Secrets --do you have any recommendations for Kdramas in the same vein as those?</p>
<p>Okay, so I have a little admission about Go Hajoon. If you need a Korean actor to imagine playing him --I would pick Park Seo Joon. Although, in my head he's a bit more of an amalgamation of all the other Korean actors I crush on. So at times he's Song Joong Ki and Lee Joon Hyuk.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Interlude I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is just a little interlude that tells you guys... look, there are more things happening in this world than So, trying to find Soo... Hajoon has a little crush. Happiness all around. lol</p>
<p>Don't worry... we'll get back to our main storyline shortly. ;)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>—————————</em>Go Hajoon————————————————</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The District Police Station, South Korea</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">October, 08, 2016 — Afternoon</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A buzzing sensation at his wrist informed him that it had been too long since he’d stood up. Perhaps another cup of coffee was in order. He’d been up late cajoling his mother after Jinnie, had apparently decided in one day that she was going to quit medical school and work in a cosmetics shop and called their mother that evening to tell her.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Why doesn’t my sister think before she does these things… I get it that she doesn’t want to go to medical school, but Eomma, Eomma hasn’t been around her… lately… </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon, stood up massaging his temples. He’d spent all morning and a good portion of this afternoon combing through previous cases for any leads on the Mao drug case that Jeon Kai could send over to the prosecutor.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai was panning out to be every bit the over achieving perfectionist Joon thought him to be —he also had proved to be an excellent friend, leader and after work drinking buddy. Though he wished he was slightly closer to his senior, Chun-ja —her tomboyish mentality and constant presence in his life for the past couple years had caused his heart to pine. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>How many cups of coffee will I have to give her before she’ll noticed me as more than, “rookie”?</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The squeak of a dry-erase marker snapped him back to the reality.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This! This is it!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joon turned his head in unison with the other two detectives to squint at Kai’s whiteboard filled with pictures and illegible scribbles —They’d all noticed at some point that Kai had this strange habit of taking notes in traditional Chinese cursive. And this whole board was almost covered in the characters.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai excitedly circled a connection that between two photos.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“There is a warehouse owned directly by one of Mao’s personal investment corporations —the last time the police tried to get a search warrant to search this location, they were denied entry since their wasn’t enough evidence to support the search warrant. With this new bit ofinformation from a small unnoticeable funds transfer between one of his corporations accounts and amongst a few others we should have enough solid evidence to get that search warrant.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With that, Kai grabbed his jacket and dashed out of the room.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Choi Jong-soo, Kai’s partner and also the most senior of the remaining three stood up looking at him and, closing the case report he was currently reading and placing it back into the box.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, we gonna follow Jeon or not?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Pulling a face, and mouthing to Choi, “He’s crazy, but we love him,” Chun-ja also stood up and grabbed her jacket.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He’s definitely enthusiastic… but he made a good point —finally being able to search the warehouse might actually open this case up.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Get your butt in gear Joonie”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————————Go Hajoon——————————————</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The District Police Station, South Korea</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">October, 11, 2016 — Afternoon</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The trip out to warehouse district had ended up being a dead end. The place had been swept clean. Nothing. The cameras had been removed and the CCTV week before they even been able to get their hands on a search warrant had been wiped from the server. The footage up to that week contained only freight containers being moved in and out. Showing only business as usual.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Nothing out of the order in the eyes of the CCTV. And nothing conclusive enough to even bring before the eyes of the court.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The only lead they currently had was comparing the blurred faces of the warehouse employees caught on camera in the weeks leading up to removal of recording to the faces of current warehouse employees, dock workers and freight drivers caught on near by cameras and footage not removed… unfortunately, whoever had hacked into the server and removed the CCTV of the warehouse they’d searched also removed the footage of any camera with in a mile radius of the warehouse.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">An buzz from the direction of the table.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cell phone.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hajin?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A rapid fire, and panicked voice on the other end of the line explained something in an unintelligible manner about... Mikyong? Hajoon, hadn't really paid his sister much attention back then, but he was aware that Jaehwa had cheated on her with Mikyong -her bestfriend. <em>Oh god, What now?! Did she have another one of those "moments" this morning --forget she has a new job and already gotten herself fired?</em></span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I started the drama "Tunnel" last night, and it's proving to be decently good... time travel is always amusing. ;P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Coincidences</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hajin has had another "episode"... Hajoon runs off to save her like the adorable and dependable younger bro that he is. Kai broods... and the happy office detectives have a picnic. ;)</p>
<p>Enjoy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>————————————-</em>Jeon Kai——————————————</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The District Police Station, South Korea</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">October, 11, 2016 — Afternoon</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It didn’t matter how long he’d stared at the whiteboard —they’d missed something. How had they been just two steps behind? Kai mussed-up his hair racking his brain for answers. He’d have to return to the original accounts first uncovered a month ago and rebuild his whole whiteboard. <em>Fuck.</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The faint buzz of a cellphone distracted his spiraling brain.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai turned glanced around the office. It was Go Hajoon’s phone. Joon quickly answered the phone. His Noona again no doubt. He’d never met her, but she was his most common caller. He knew she had some kind of a condition that gave her “episodes” from overheard conversations between Hajoon and Chun-ja.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joonie, himself wasn’t a secretive person about himself per say—you could see his crush on Chun-ja a mile away. But the kid never kept any pictures of his sister or mother on his desk, or talked about them in the office. There was a sweet sticky note stuck to his desk’s computer that his sister had sent with him to work in his lunch. A little key-ring bear thing in a Taekwondo uniform and a some other random momento given to him from his days in the Police Academy.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hajin?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Turning back to the whiteboard to not crowd Joon’s phone call. Old habits die hard. Learning to mind his own business after being the king —where everything had been his business was a hard habit to break. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>There had to be a lead here—</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wait… Slow down. Mikyong and Jaehwa…cosmetics store…?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Didn’t Hajin attempt suicide sometime last year, because of… ? </em>He’d just met Hajoon—</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Its okay… I can get my seniors to cover for me.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joon pulled an apologetic face and hurriedly pointed to the door and at the mess on his desk and then raised a thumbs up. Kai, nodded vaguely and motioned towards the door. She must be having another one of her “episodes” today.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>Aiiihh, Jinnie, You’re okay. Breathe. There is no guy in a face mask…” Joon’s reassuring tone receded off down the hall still on the phone with his sister.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Face mask? </em>Kai, habitually raised his hand to touch the red line running down one side of his face. <em>Face masks are normal in this modern society. No one thinks twice about you with your face covered.</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Aiiiiii… That boy is too nice to his Noona.” Chun-ja tutted and shook her head causing her short hair to comically bounce as she watched the rookie dash off down the hall.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Chun-ja walked back into the shared office to absentmindedly sift through and pile up the mess of papers open on his desk.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh jenjangg….just look at this mess. Yah! You could’ve at least put all this…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Choi jong-soo’s, voice of reason cut in to Chun-ja’s, rant with a tut.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yah, Chun-ja, he’s all the girl’s got since that eclipse.” The older man gestured at Kai, and back at all the desks. “Besides, we covered for both of you while Jinnie, was in the hospital, so the least you can do is lock up his mess…” Jong-soo, finished his lecture off with some non-verbal tutting.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, glanced over the report he was re-reading to lock eyes with Choi Jong-soo and smirked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Choi Jong-soo, though in his early 50s was still a fit and active man —preferring a more traditional, Confucian, lifestyle of moderation and abstinence. He was a vegetarian and gardener. The man had never been married or had a girlfriend —choosing to live alone. Choi never drank when they went out as a team after a long day of work, and during working hours the man preferred to drink tea over coffee —and only tea brewed in the traditional Chinese method. The detective was an avid player of Go, and could be found at any given moment thumbing through vintage books on the strategy of the game. Choi, knew and was liked ubiquitously by everyone at the station —having worked at the same station since his rookie days. Though definitely not the oldest or highest ranking detective —he was respected by all at the small station.Jong-soo since Kai had been transferred to their district had found a close friend in Kai. from going morning runs to playing Go. (authors note: Kai being Gwangjong would struggle to form friendships with those the appear to be about the same age as him in this world — since he has little shared experiences with them. He lived out his former life in Goryeo —so mentally his age would be about 50 or 60, even though physically I’m placing him at about the same age as LJG during the filming of MLSHR)</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He turned back to the whiteboard letting Chun-ja clean up after Joon. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Hajoon’s sister had tried to commit suicide the same day as the eclipse a little over a year ago. The same one that had sent him on a bender. From then on, Go Hajin experiences “episodes.”</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai rubbed the rubbed the space between his upper lip and nose with his index finger.<em>Focus on the Mao case —</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>He’d arrived at the palace the day of a full eclipse —the same day the Soo-ya had accidentally stumbled into the princes lives.</em> </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’d heard the story a dozens times from his younger impressionable brothers. He’d also heard from Baek Ah, that her spying on the prince’s bath was around the same time that Hae Soo developed a personality change —up until that day Baek Ah recalled her as a quite little mouse of girl. He’d only known of her presence in the Hwangbo house because of Lady Hae, the 8th Prince’s first wife. Hae Soo had been the perfect image of a daughter from a wealthy family. Then suddenly everything about her changed —from how she carried herself when she walked around to her entire speech pattern. She’d forgotten almost all her manners. The list went one… he’d only met Soo after the personality change…</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>I arrived at the police station the day of the full eclipse —the same day Joon’s sister tried to commit… </em>What else had happened that day? Had anyone else just disappeared or did someone here suddenly experience a total change in personality? </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Was there any connection between these two separate yet similar events?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ji Mong, had been the one to give him the hint that Soo-ya had something to do with an eclipse and that she wasn’t from Goryeo.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>There can’t any connection between these two events. It’s just a coincidence.</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>There are no coincidences in an investigation.</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai stared at the paper inside the yellow police case folder. There was a collection of photographs paper-clipped to the side of the folder.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>I arrived here seven years ago. Why am I just now running into these coincidences?</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There had been that one time in a club where he’d been certain he’d found her. She or rather the girl had looked so similar to Seol, and Soo-ya —but the girl he’d found had only called security on him thinking that some crazy creep was trying to harass her… The girl had pointed directly at his face while almost shouting to be heard over the thump of the club music, </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<em>How could I ever forget such a creepy face with a scar like that?!”</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After security had removed him from the club they’d called the MP’s and he’d ended up in a base cell for a couple days with a firm warning form his superiors about conduct while on military leave —after that he’d completely stopped trying to locate Soo.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Until the other day —after hearing that voice —he couldn’t stop thinking about finding her.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m going to go home early today —feel free to continue or take the rest of the day off.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sung Chun-ja lifted her head out of the laptop she was currently immersed in and stared blankly at him until her mouth could catch up to watch her ears had just heard.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…Yahhh.” “Since when do you go home early and give us the day off?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, gave Chun-ja, a quick smirk and wordlessly gathered up his laptop the two neat piles of folders and placed them both into his backpack.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Chun-ja, now certain of the opportunity for afternoon off, jumped up from her chair and began pestering Choi, to do something with her so as to not waste the day. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahjussi, you don’t have anyone waiting for you at home and haven’t had a day off in ages —we should have a picnic in park —you can finally teach me that game you and Jeon always play.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Swing the backpack over one shoulder Kai headed for the door. Chun-ja and Choi while cleaning up the office talked excitedly about the various merits of all the local parks, who they could invite out with them and what street-foods they could pick up on the way.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Chun-ja, shouted from the doorway as he walked down hall.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sunbaenim, you’ll join us later —right?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, wordlessly gave the officer a lazy salute on his way out the door past the front desk.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The glass door slid open to a warm fall afternoon.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Confession time again. So, Sung Chun-ja is definitely a "author-self-insert" character -- if I was a detective on a police force --which I'm not, because I'm not even smart enough to write a decent plot/fanfic let alone solve cases. I also can't have Wang So crushing on me --he's supposed to end up with Hae Soo --but that doesn't mean I can't have her little brother. ^_^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Image</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jeon Kai connects some dots. Gwangjong celebrates an eight birthday with his daughter. ^_^ Yay.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————Jeon Kai———————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai’s Apartment, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Same day — That evening</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Several hours of searching though various news articles and police reports on missing persons from around the date of the eclipse, Kai happened to stumble upon a relatively small article published in an American medical journal describing the case of young South Korean woman. The woman being the subject of the paper was around 20 years and had fallen into an a come after being rescued from the water.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The article had been written completely in english (which was proving for him to be a harder challenge to learn than Hangul) and scientific terms. The paper went over his head. The abstract and the conclusion, however, had been helpfully translated into Hangul on the database’s website. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The authors stated that this case was highly unusual as it appeared the girl hadn’t suffered from any brain damage during her time passed out underwater without oxygen. However even stranger yet was when brainwave electrical sensors were placed on her head to track activity —the results appeared to indicate the subject was having vivid dreams while in a coma. The authors went on to postulate that the subject could even potentially be feeling pain and other emotions as a result of these “vivid dreams.” They posed this theory in the conclusion based on their findings that at various times during their observations areas of the subject’s brain associated with pain receptors and emotional processing produced electrical activity equal to when an awake human experiences pain and emotion.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>The subject of these articles has to be Go Hajoon’s older sister —the timeline lines up. </em>Go Hajoon, had never really opened up to anyone else on the force other than Chun-ja about his sister. And he really hadn’t told anyone about how Hajin had tried to commit suicide. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>Wait, she was also rescued out of the water?</em> <em>I was rescued out of water when I arrived here seven years ago.</em></span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai clicked on next article written by the same medical team. This time the article was a continuation about their pervious subject, and how after about a year in a coma the subject miraculously awoke, but now suffers from an unidentified psychosis —similar to PTSD. The article’s abstract stated that after completing a serious of tests on the subject —the subject was found to have no brain damage or other abnormalities in the chemical electrical function of the brain, and yet the subject was still exhibiting signs similar to PTSD. These presentations of the psychosis seemed to be in the form of delusions —where the subject seemed to be living the past.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Living in the past?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>It can’t be that easy. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Fate?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>I don’t believe in fate.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai, quickly searched the police database for all case reports filed on the day of the eclipse. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>This is insane. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>This is just too easy…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Soo-ya, couldn’t have actually been… Go Hajin?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Someone had to have called emergency services that day. And there would be a record of the event<em>. </em>This would at least give him a location, and a location could give him CCTV footage of the area. And if there was any doubt surrounding the suicide attempt —there would be pictures of the girl on file.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai quickly scrolled through the list…</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">2015, June, 12th — Go Hajin, attempted suicide. 119 Call was made to the police… Kai didn’t care to read the rest of the short description of the report. His eyes went straight to the button, “Images.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The first image that loaded was of the subject.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">—————Gwangjong Flashback——————————————</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Jung’s Residence, Goryeo</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Sometime in the 900s</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">After a few more formal visits to the palace with Seol in tow, So finally forced Jung to admit that Soo-ya had been pregnant with the child when she’d agreed to their marriage and left the palace.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The child was So’s first born. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">But how could he go against Soo’s last wishes of letting the child grow-up apart from the palace after… everything… </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">She was the only child he wished to hear the word, “Aboji” from, but like another one of their twisted fates, So was certain that she would be the only child that he would never hear call out to him as, "Aboji."</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The child, Seol as was turning eight soon.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">So had slipped out of the palace and ridden to Jung residence to surprise the girl as a birthday present. His eunuchs, court ladies and… Yun Hwa would be apoplectic about now. How had they not gotten used to his antics, was still an amazement to him.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">A small body of bright fluttering silk hanbok bounced into the room.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Ahjussi!”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The little girl remembering her manners in front of her parents and the King. Stopped and bowed dramatically adding more formally. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha…”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">He smiled. <em>She’s still wearing the pin in her hair.</em></span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The little girl not getting any response glanced up at So and quickly glanced back down at the floor.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">She was perfect.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">So crouched down onto her level allowing the child to look him in the eye. And then looking around the child at Jung and his new wife in a very conspiratorial manner whispered something in Seol’s ear.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The little girl giggled covering her mouth with both hands.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">So stood back up to his full height before clearing his throat. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I’d like to take Seol-ya for a stroll through your garden”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Jung’s wife’s eyes visibly widen in shock at the request. Not only was she extremely uncomfortable with whole situation of the King being at their home alone with out any of the royal entourage, but he wanted to take their daughter out for a stroll alone —this could only mean one that to her —the King was planning to take their Seol as a wife. The King had already married one of his nieces —what was to stop him from marrying another?</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Jung started to whisper something to his wife but was cut short by So’s flat statement.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I have no interest in marrying Seol.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">And with that he extended his hand out to the child, who gladly accepted it with both hands looking up at him anticipation.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>Oh god, her hands are so small. And her eyes… they had that same depth and shine that Soo-ya’s always had, they have that ability to stare directly into your soul. </em>He just wanted to hold, protect and never ever give his daughter back to Jung… </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Every time she looked at him like that, she took his breath away.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The moment they’d reached the garden, Seol burst out with,</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Uncle, lets pretend you’re a horse and I'm warrior, and I’m fighting off all the bad guys!”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Seol squealed in delight as So crouched down on the ground to where the little girl could easily climb on his shoulders. So, entirely memorized by the child joined in on her laughter.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">For the next few minutes the King “galloped” around the garden as Seol fought off imaginary bad guys with a stick she’d determined was her sword. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Okay, Uncle, now I’m pretending to be red riding hood, and you’re the big bad wolf.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">So, crouched down allowing the child to clamber off his shoulders for this next game.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">He’d told her that story one afternoon when she’d come to palace —but he hadn’t thought she’d remember it. Hae Soo had been first the one to tell him the fanciful story.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Seol, did you know your mother told me that story?”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Seol, paused for a minute and her eyes widened, and then she proceeded right on with this new game’s “rules.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“She did? Well you’re the big bad wolf right now, and so you pretend to be —be a big scary wolf and I’ll attack you and save the grandmother.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Yeah. I am the big bad wolf… more than you know little on—</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Uncle! You not pretending.” </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Seol, why don’t we change the story, and I’ll be the big nice wolf that saves you from the evil… uncle.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Okay… but, why —my Uncle is my favorite Uncle, I don’t want my Uncle to be evil.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Ummm oh.” <em>I got myself into this sticky place with evil Uncle… </em>“Because red-riding hood’s had one good uncle and one evil uncle who wanted all the power in the kingdom and thought he could steal red-riding’s mother away from the wolf.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Why did I even go there with a seven year old…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">This was apparently too much explanation for the seven year old, as she had definitely lost interest in the “why” by the time he’d finished and was now running around the garden chasing imaginary evil Uncles with her stick.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">As the sun was beginning to set the royal entourage finally arrived at the gates of Jung’s residence and “Uncle” had to become “Pyeha”. And “Pyeha” was definitely only there to visit his brother.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The next time that So saw his daughter, was in passing at one of the many holiday feasts in the palace.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Sprinkled throughout seeing Jung and his family for official reasons, So continued to find ways to visit Seol around her birthday or whenever he was able slip away unnoticed from the palace.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So here is a random thought. What if SBS actually released a second season of MLSHR, and So/Soo's daughter was in it but her name wasn't Seol? I have read a ridiculous amount of MLSHR fanfiction, and for whatever reason we've all agreed that their daughter's name is Seol. But, I don't remember the drama actually giving us her a name... or was this one of those things lost in subtitle translation?</p><p>Also, side-note about what I'm currently working on --that you can expect to read sometime next week.<br/>You would not believe how difficult it is, to trying explaining everything that went down between all the brothers, and why Jung of all people ended up being the one to raise her -- to a Seol that would have grown up without any or much knowledge of Wook.... and its preeetty necessary to know how much of a rat he was to understand all the moving pieces...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Seol</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seol is older. Seol learns... things. Gwangjong shares emotional moments with Seol.</p>
<p>We'll get back to our main story shortly... ^_^</p>
<p>But until then enjoy Seol.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">—————Gwangjong Flashback——————————————</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Palace, Goryeo</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sometime in the 900s six years later</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So sat in the bank of a remote inlet by the edge of palace pond trying to skip rocks. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Out of spite for Yun Hwa that morning he hadn’t had a court lady apply any make up over his scar —opting to wear one of his masks for the day.What he hadn't realized was how much dissonance the simple action would cause among his ministers that morning session. He'd ended the meetings early when he’d angrily stormed out of the throne room and back to his personal chambers.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The pond always reminded him of blissful afternoons on his boat as a carefree prince… </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>One… two… three…..fo…aiii…</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The pebble vanished into the dark water.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So searched around on the ground for another smooth flat pebble… The sound of light footsteps caught him by surprise.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He whipped around ready to strike out at an attacker.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She was dressed in a simple black fighter’s style hanbok, with her hair tied up at the back of her head. In her hands was a training sword. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Jung really doesn’t know anything else to teach his children besides fighting. </em>So inwardly rolled his eyes at his younger brother.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahjus— Pyeha…?” The words died away on her lips as confusion bloomed on her face.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So cleared his throat and casually dusted himself off in an effort to regain some of his lost dignity of being found on the ground.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh… you found me--.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He was about to say more, when Seol pulled a concerned face at him and gestured in the direction of his face. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha, why are you wearing that? Did you get hurt?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Oh. This. </em>So absentmindedly touched the leather mask. <em>She doesn’t know…</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That thought brought a little grin to the exposed side of his face.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Someone who doesn’t know…</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do... do... you want to see?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol, nodded vaguely —concern for him still knit in-between her brows.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Reaching up So undid the simple knot securing the mask with on hand, while with the other he pulled the leather away from his face.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol gave a little gasp of surprise.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Normal.</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Did that just happen to you Ahjussi?” Concern in her voice as she closed the steps between them.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The girl was now right next to him at the edge of the pond and he could see their reflections in the water.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Does... does she even look like me?</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So, glanced over Seol’s head at the dark water and another faint smiled played at the edges of his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>She really is my daughter…</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahjussi?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So looked back at Seol’s face.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do I… frighten you?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Pulling his hand free of her grasp, he secured the mask back into place.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What? </span>
  <span class="s1">Why would I be afraid of you just because of a scar?.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So squinted up at the position of the sun, and back down at Seol.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Why don’t we head back up to palace —your Aboji and tutor will most likely looking for you since —I believe —” Here So gestured at what she was wearing. “You snuck away either before or during your sword lesson, that is unless Jung is now letting his young daughters run around in mens clothes while carrying swords?” So, didn’t actually doubt that Jung let her do this at his home —he probably —even encouraged it.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol opened her mouth and glanced back at the mask to ask another quesiton, however she must have thought better of it, because she closed her mouth.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“There was a court lady that worked in the Damiwon while I was still a prince —she made a paste to cover the scar —I rarely wear a mask.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Stepping back onto the little pathway the pair walked along in silence.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Out of the blue Seol blurted out.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My birth mother was a court lady…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Unsure of what to say next, the girl —choose to spill everything. But by the end So could heard a faint quake in the her voice —heralding the approach of tears.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He looked down into the child’s face again.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Tears pooled in her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha, why do you spend so much time with just… me? It… it makes… my mother… nervous… are you going to make me a… court lady or…a—“ The words were barely audible between the sobs of emotion that had been let loose. “—concubine… because of my… relationship with you… and my… low birth… I over heard... my... mother say something about you.... doing this.... before.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So was stunned into silence by the fears of a child now old enough to vaguely have a grasp on how the world worked. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He did the only thing he could think of in the moment and the only thing he wished someone would’ve done for him. He stepped forward, wrapped the girl up in his arms and just lett her sob. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Shhhh…. “ So, rubbed the girl’s back reassuringly, “I promise that I will never make you enter the palace against your own will.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So, looked up at the sky, blinking back tears at his own the words.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Should I tell her? </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So didn’t loosened his hold on her until she’d finished crying.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Seol, how much has your Aboji told you about your birth mother?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The girl placed her back to him as she tried to dry her eyes on the back of her sleeve.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The day Aboji told me that my mother —my birth mother, he’d been drinking a little too much.” The girl looked as if she wasn’t supposed to have told So that. “He also told me that she hadn’t always been a court lady.” “Aboji that evening told me that she was…” Here the girl’s cheeks turned an embarrassed shade of pink, “the love of his life.” “… and… that I should be proud to have her as my birth mother.” “Aboji, spoke that evening of my white jade hair pin —he said he’d always wondered about it, and mumbled something about ‘which one us gave it to her’ —He continued to ramble on about seeing it in her hair on day, and then always seeing in her hair.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So ruefully nodded his head letting out a small cynical laugh.<em> Aiii… that idiot. He never knew did he…</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Apparently Aboji remembered that he told me something about my birth mother, because a while ago between practicing one of my forms and resting —He told me this story of —he’d made a mistake when he was young… with a gang or something and my birth mother saved him.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>Jung told you that did he? Did he add anything about how I was there too?” So lifted a questioning eye-brow.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The idea that her favorite Uncle —the King —and her father getting into trouble together had never dawned on Seol. The girl stood their processing this new information for a whole moment before bursting out with.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You knew my mother too??”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Did I know your mother…</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So, tapped on the mask.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“She was the court lady that made the paste.” He thought for moment before deciding to continue, “She called it —Pound-tae-sheun<em>.</em>”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Seol, rolled the word around in her mouth before trying it.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Poun-ttae-jeun.” “What does ‘Poun-ae-jeun’ mean?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So shrugged,</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You know, I asked her that same question, and she said something about, ‘base layer… and…” So tried to summon the correct words with hands, and when those words obviously avoided him he vaguely added “other…stuff…but…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol more interested in leaning more about her mother cut him off.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Can you… tell me anything else about my mother?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Caught off-guard by the question So, stumbled on his words. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh, uh…” So, let out a breath… “She was…” <em>What…? Beautiful… My person… </em>“An… interesting person…” <em>How do I explain who she was to me —without telling her everything?</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol’s response to his underwhelming response was also underwhelming.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">To make up for the underwhelming response, it was So’s turn to blurt something out.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Your mother made-up new names for constellations… she was afraid of the water…. often she talked too much for her own good and… she could… sing…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A clear voice from the past echoed in his memory.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“…Maybe everyone in the world had nightmares, </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>How can I cry by myself? </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>There’s a place I wanted to return to, </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Now even my footprints seem unfamiliar to me, </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>My dear friend, </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Thank you for being you.”</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So cleared his throat.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…Aboji, never told me she sang for him…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He also probably never told you, how clumsy she was either —she only sang for us one time” “It was a summer afternoon and I ended up hearing her argue with the head court lady while she watered the plants —except there was no one there” Here So, stopped walking for a moment, and gave Seol one of his genuine smiles at the memory before continuing on with the story “—your mother was so caught up in her argument that she forget what she was doing and tripped over the water jar and it broke.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol stifled a little giggle at the story. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Now that old memories had been jogged in his brain, and Seol was enjoying them, So kept going “Your mother said the strangest things sometimes like the name for the paste.” So pointed vaguly at the mask, “—she trained your father and our brother, Baek Ah to say ‘Oh-Kay!’” At the “Oh-Kay!” So lifted his fist with the thumb raised and extended it towards her.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol giggled a little more this time.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahjussi, can y—“</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But whatever she was going to ask was cut-off by the familiar sound of frantic servants. <em>Ah. I was correct —she was skipping out on the her lesson.</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>Lady Wang Seol! Please come with us —the 18th Prince and thesword master have been requesting your presence for the past hou—”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The eunuch that had been shouting a moment earlier stared dumbfounded at the King. Surprise written all over his face, at finding young Lady Seol in the company of the King. The pair quickly recovered their composer —bowed in unison murmuring a reverent.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Forgive us for disturbing you Pyeha”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The next time he saw her, was before she was about to be married off as the first wife —only because of her royal connections to the son ofanother wealthy and influential family. But did she love the man? Had they even met each other prior to their parents decision?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jung, and his first wife had come to the palace to ask for the King’s blessing on this marriage. <em>Though, I think Jung, was making sure that I approved of his choice for Seol —so as to not incur my wrath on him —again.</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol was just now seventeen —an adult. Perhaps now was the time to tell her… everything. Would that ruin the wedding? Possibly. Did he care? Not really. There were plenty of “good” families out there. But this was his last chance of seeing her before she left Jung’s house.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He was sitting in one the many open walled rooms with the curtains pulled back so as to gaze upon the perfectly tended rock garden.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol, now every bit the young lady of a wealthy family was dressed in a finely embroidered hanbok and followed by an escort of servants stepped into the room after one of the servants announced her arrival.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her features now fully developed were the spitting image of her mother —just somehow sharper and more intense.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Bowing like a lady she offered a quiet,</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He beckoned for her to rise and motioned for her to join him at the table. Which she did, making sure to not look directly at him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A court lady stepped up from somewhere and poured them both cups of tea.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do you love the man you’re being married off to?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wha…?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Confusion. This was not the question she expected to hear from the King.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do you want this marriage?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha, I am faithfully fulfilling my family’s desire for me, love has no place in this decision.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“mmm…” The King, took a sip of his tea and nodded thoughtfully.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Then I have gift for you, and a request”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Soel, looked up at Gwangjong for the first time and standing up from her chair she bowed low again.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thank you, Pyeha. As you faithful subject and niece, I will fulfill any requests you have of me”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gwangjong, again nodded thoughtfully and waved for a court lady to come forward.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Folded to perfection on platter brought forward by the court lady was a gorgeously embroidered hanbok of blue embellished with red silk running along every edge, embroidered with in the red were gold dragons and phoenixes. Sitting next to the hanbok was an elaborately decorated phoenix crown.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha… This is a wedding hanbok fit for a… queen.” At the last words, she glanced up at him and there was a slight haze of fear in the young woman’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gwangjong smiled shaking his head.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do you remember my promise I gave you —that I would never force you to enter the palace against your own will?” “This —this is just a present for your wedding day.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My request of you is that you wear them on your wedding day.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Soel returned to her seat at the table. And numbly stared at the cold cup of tea in from of her. Stunned at the lavish gift just bestowed upon her.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yea, Pyeha.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gwangjong took another sip of the tea before continuing.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This hanbok was made for your birth mother —Senior Court Lady, Hae Soo.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol stared. Her eyes moving between the wedding hanbok and the king.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha… No one has ever told me my birth mother’s name… and… why…? Why was there a royal wedding hanbok made for a simple court lady?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The king nodding vaguely in response to the question looking down the whole time at the empty cup in his hand.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Because… I loved her.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So, could hear Seol’s sharp intake of air at the last statement.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nae?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It was simple —I wanted to marry her.” “But, I couldn’t, because of… politics…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The middle aged man let out a sigh of… regret? </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“She married your father Jung, instead. At first I resented her for… but later found out that she wouldn’t have felt it so necessary to leave the palace if she hadn’t been trying to protect someone from the… politics…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So, turned away to look out on the garden in an effort to hide his emotions from Seol.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Who… who… was she trying to protect?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So worked his jaw for a moment in to regain his composure before turning back to look at Seol.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“She knew she was pregnant with you before she married Jung. She also knew that if certain parties in the palace found out about her pregnancy they would’ve forced her to abort you.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol, unsure of how to process through all this new information, and unable to keep her mouth shut asked the first question the popped into her head.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Was she trying to run away?” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol, now well aware of proper ettiequte around her King realized that she was beginning to overstep boundaries and kept her gaze pinned on the floorboards just in front of the hem of her skirts.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nae.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest in fear. She bit her lip until she tasted blood —she would not cry. Her mother had, had the audacity to go up against the King of Goryeo as only a simple court lady!? Who did her mother think she was?! Seol’s heart raced. Why was the king telling her this now… She closed her eyes to try to clear her head as it spun in panic. As a court lady her mother was the property of the King —he could’ve had her with or without marriage —hell, Seol was his property —he was the fucking King. Seol kept running the same thought over and over in her head in the brief moment. Her birth mother —refused an offer of marriage to the King?! Who did that?! She would have been set for life and only called upon once in a while to preform her marital duties —since she was only a court lady and not from some powerful family. How had she been granted her life? The next thought sent her down on her knees from the chair. Her mother had been pregnant with her which could only mean one thing she’d dishonorably gone behind the king’s back and slept with the King’s younger brother. Oh god! No wonder the King and her Aboji always seemed so tense around each other…</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha! Please forgive my mother! Pyeha, for the sake of your younger brother please forgive my mother and for the sins she committed against you!” “Pyeha…” Seol, steeled her voice to continue, “—if you must, take me in her place. Marry me.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol had gotten up from her chair and was now prostrate in the floor in front of the King.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She heard an audible laugh from the King.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gwangjong got up from the chair he’d been sitting in and crouching down on the floor in front of her, he lifted up her face, until they would have been eye to eye if Seol had looked at him straight instead of choosing to look everywhere —but his face.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Seol, I was the Prince that went behind the King’s back with your mother. ”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But… what?” Confusion in the young woman’s voice,“—Pyeha —my mother —aren’t you angry at her for…” Seol struggled to find the right words,“—but my Aboji —she cheated on you with my father —isn’t that why she had to save m—”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Here So, cut her off with four words that cut straight through her fog of panic.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You are my daughter.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol, couldn’t process what she’d just heard. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Your mother only ever saw your father Jung as a… a… younger brother… unfortunately I…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So flicked his eyes around the small building before continuing. “I had always promised to find her a way out of the palace and… I thought that she’d… never loved me… and that it had always been Jung… I wouldn’t have let her marry him if he hadn’t requested a letter from the previous King agreeing to the marriage… I… I… didn’t know what to do… I was loosing my person… bit by bit… they were taking my one person…And… I didn’t know that she was pregnant with… you… I was angry… angry at… them… and in a horrifying moment… I told Soo-ya that I would never see her again… I never did. Like a… coward… I thought…. I thought that she… that her marriage to Jung was… real. He’d always taken my place in everything else… in… our mother’s heart… so why not in Soo-ya’s. If only I’d read those letters earlier. If only Jung hadn’t…. hidden the fact… they were from… her… I wouldn’t have doubted her… I could’ve… I couldn’t held you and new-born… I rode out as soon as I could.” Here So broke down into intelligible sobs.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol just sat numbly looking at the King. The King who had just told her he was her father. The King that was now struggling to regain his composer unsuccessfully in front of her. How was she supposed to process what she had just heard?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My Aboji…? </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The King was her Ahjussi. But he was also the King, so why would he lie? Did he hate her that much? Seol, was still in shock over her mother refusing to marry the king, but now the fact that her Aboji and her… Uncle… had… tricked her… all her life? As she’d grown older she’d begun to wonder why her Uncle, the King had always shown so much interest in just her —not any of her siblings or his children —just her. This was question she had never been able to find a decent answer for, and it had made her so uncomfortable around the King that by the age of fourteen she requested to travel down to Qing with the ambassador just to get away from the King. For the next two years, until her official engagement —she’d lived comfortably under the Minister to Qing’s roof —away from Goryeo. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol, stood up unsure if she should leave or stay. But the scene of the King kneeling on the floor was… troublesome. She signaled for the eunuchs at the door to help him back up to his chair and decided it was best to leave the King instead of further disgracing him with her presence. They could continue this conversation… at a later time.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha… please excuse me…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol dipped a bow and backed out of the little room.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So didn’t say anything as she left the room.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Seol… I was only following your mother’s last wishes… </em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">————Wang Seol————</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Palace, Goryeo</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sometime in the 900s — A few days after her last encounter with the king</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A few evenings later, a chest containing her mother’s wedding hanbok and crown were delivered to her rooms.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Oh god… I’ve been trying to avoid dwelling on anything spoken to me that day by….</em>Who was he to her now? King? Ahjussi?… Father?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There was a letter tucked into the folded silk.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol,</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Forgive me for not being honest with you. I carry no animosity towards you, your birth mother or your father Jung. I will not require you to publicly acknowledge me as your father —however if you request it I will have your name added to the royal line since you are my first born and eldest daughter. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jung and I chose to follow the last wishes of your mother Hae Soo, and never tell you or your parentage. This was a joint effort whether right to wrong to to let you grow-up free of palace intrigue —however now that you are an adult —I will let you decide for yourself.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol folded up the letter setting it aside on the table.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Literally three days ago, all I had going through my head was the fear of being married off to someone I barely knew. Now… oh god..</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol patted the back of her neck as she paced the floor of her room.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>The King asked for MY forgiveness. Now I’m being told that I’m not just the niece of the King —but Gwangjong’s first born. A child conceived before he rose to power with my mother a common court lady. Why? Shouldn’t I be a blemish? The queen, the queen mother and the whole fucking Hwangbo family would have a fit if I were ever to come forward as an heir… As an heir…</em>
  </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A small predatory smile formed over her lips and eyes. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>… I would love to see the shock on all their faces</em>. <em>Just to bring down that corrupt family a notch or two for the sake of Hae Soo. It would be worth it all. I’m not my birth mother —If Gwangjong is willing to claim me as his daughter, I will have all power from my father’s side of the family… and the Wang clan still has control over the military… I’m not powerless.</em></span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol rolled out a piece of parchment on the table and dipping her brush into the black ink she decisively wrote the following note.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Father,</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I wish to acknowledge you publicly as my father and I don’t love the man I’m about to marry.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seol.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Confession time. I straight-up had no idea where this chapter was going when I started it... it took a few unexpected turns as my characters started talking. I also wasn't going to write from Seol's perspective... but I suddenly needed to... I also wasn't going to have her choose to take on the Hwangbo's... but I was listening to the (MLSHR soundtrack and one of the more epic tracks started playing... and I was like. Welp damn. I'm gonna have her take after her father).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Goodbye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kai makes a choice. The Sun becomes a brief poetic character. Also a flashback to Go Hajin meeting someone in 2012.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————Jeon Kai———————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai’s Apartment, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Same day — That evening</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>That’s the girl. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Go Hajin was the girl from the club? He shuddered at the memory of girl pointing and shouting in horror at his face as clear as day. He’d been there on military leave after being convinced to by his men that he should get out and meet a girl.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Was this it? The end of the line bringing him in a full awful circle.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai leaned back against the wall, thumping his head against the wall in an effort to dislodge a forgotten memory of her. Something that was a defining feature. Something. Anything, that could set her apart from this woman in the police report or determine that they were one and the same. He closed his eyes to think for a moment.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Focus… defining features… Eyes? Nose? Hair… the Go Hajin of this photo had wavy red-ish hair… but hair color changed… people change their hair color basically every day here in Korea. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Her defining feature… her… everything about her was her defining feature, and Go Hajin looked like her —Except that she wasn't her… Could she have forgotten me? Could Go Hajin when she's going to die here in Korea… be sent to the past and appear like I did as an adult… If that was the case… she’ll… never recognize me…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p3">His heart sank.</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>No…. No…..Noooo…… Aiiishhh…..</em></span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai shuck his head in frustration… How had he really expected to find a needle in a hay-stack here in modern day Seoul? What other leads did he even have? He was basing this “investigation” off of a series of coincidences… </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Why did I even go down this road…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The warm rays of a pink sunset shone through the apartment’s sliding glass doors and onto the lone figure slumped against the wall. They touched on group of slightly rowdy off-duty police officers enjoying each others company —well into their bottles of soju. In the crowded streets of Myeongdong, the soft pink haze of the sunset streamed past a brother and sister stopping at local street vendor to get a bite of food.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The lone figure pulled his legs up to his chest settling his head down on his knees.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Maybe this is my karma… </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">A mild humm vibrated the floor next to Kai taking him out of his stupor.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The screen seemed bright against the soft light of the sunset in the small apartment.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai glanced down at his phone.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Detective Sung Chun-ja. What was she calling about —Had they found a new lead in the case?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai tapped the green circle to accept the call.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Yeoboseyo?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Yah!! Sunbeanim!! You said you’d come to our picnic… where are you??” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai could recognize voices of a few other station officers in the background. Chun-ja definitely well on her way to being drunk had her phone on the speaker setting. Choi’s voice cut in next.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Hyung, you really should come out and join us —heaven knows playing Go with drunk people isn’t much of a challenge for me. Besides —this really is one of the last warm eveni—“ Chun-ja cut him off and with her most cringy voice that she only pulled out when she was definitely not sober, “Oh-ppaaa… Come join us at the park —we’re planing on going to karaoke once the sun fully sets.” This act was followed by Chun-ja trying to regain her dignity at the expense of the other officers and then by the sound of good natured laughter.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">He let a himself smirk.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>Why not?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">When was the last time he’d actually hung out with this co-workers after work?</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai stood up and glanced at himself in the mirror, he was still in his work clothes.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Chun-ja or Jong-soo —whoever’s still on the line… I guess… I’ll come —just send me your location via text.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Choi’s voice came through the other end of the line, “hyung —I’ll make sure they save a bottle for you.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Gomawo.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai hung up. A couple moments later his phone buzzed telling him he had a new text message. That would be the impromptu party’s location.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Looking at himself in the dressing mirror again. I could still see the faded lines of a scar running down one side of his face.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai reached up and touched the line feeling the slight ridge of the pale scar tissue.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>It really has faded… Maybe… Maybe I should follow example, and just let the past fade away into my pervious life…Go Hajin might have been Hae Soo in a previous life…But that was over 1000 years ago… How was I stupid enough to even think that I could find someone from my past here in the present? </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>She died in Goryeo… </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Is is finally time to let Soo-ya go?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai spent the next couple minutes changing intro something more comfortable. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">By the time he arrived at the edge of the park, the sun was tranquilly giving up its last few rays of light from behind the horizon. Upon his arrival the group excitedly albeit drunkenly decided that it was time to find a karaoke room and sing.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">After debating on which karaoke rooms were best —the group packed up the empty food containers and finished bottles of soju. The younger members of the group eventually decided upon a trusted location just outside Hongdae —since most of the main bars and clubs would already be packed by students and tourists at this hour.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">While walking over one of the many elevated walking bridges across Seoul, Kai turned around and paused for a moment. The other members of the group were happily chattering about which songs they would choose. The light from the sun had been fully extinguished by the dark blanket of night revealing the blinking and flickering city-scape of Seoul.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Looking up at the sky —there were no stars over Seoul.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Good bye Soo-ya.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Kai turned to catch up with the group and sticking his hands in jacket pockets to warm them against the cold night breeze.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">A cold wind that signaled the approach of winter.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">—————————Go Hajin————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Itaewon, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">July 17th, 2012 — Evening</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Club music and strobe lights throbbed all around them Hajin and Jaehwa they pushed their way through the chaos of the club.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Jinnie! Jae! Over here!” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">A glamorously dressed girl shouted and manically waved them over to abooth she was currently sharing with too many other young people that all squished around to make room for the two new comers. Some she recognized from social media posts and others from passing meetings.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Unnie!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin and the other girl awkwardly dashed forward to meet in the middle. Hugging when they collided. Mikyung the taller and skinnier of the pair pulled back from the hug to ask a question while they sat down in the booth together.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Jinnie, its been so long since we’ve all gotten back together for a night of clubbing. And this is such an exciting excuse! Congratulations —I didn’t know you were so close to finishing when we planned this! Did you ever hear back from your internship about hiring you on full time? Where was the location again —Gangnam?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">If Jinnie had replied, Mikyong couldn’t hear her over the din of the club —so she just kept talking.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I want you to meet my friends —they might become some of your next clients.” Mikyong winked and elbowed her covertly. “—they’re also m roommates from the training program.” Mikyong waved a well manicured hand at the four absorbed in their own conversation sitting kitty-corner to them in the U-shaped booth. “Did I tell you last time we talked that we were all recently reviewed by one of the managers, and later told they might audition us for a tv show being filmed by a larger studio about the lives of trainees or something like that.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin squeezed her friend’s hand. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Unnie, this is such great news —you’ve been working so hard just into get a training position in a company —how many countless jobs have you had to take on just to afford the program —so to hear you might be debuting is the best news!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Oh Jin! I completely forgot to tell you this when we talked earlier —probably because I didn’t know about it at the time --but I'm scheduled for a photoshoot next weekend —You should come and be my make-up artist! You could bring Jaehwa and isn’t your kid brother going to be on military leave that weekend? We could just the four of us go out for drinks afterwards!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>Bring my kid brother? I rarely talk to him these days. He’s so caught up in military life… and also… he’s my kid brother…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>Yah, Mimi —tell me straight, how long have you been crushing on… Joonie? Wait, —Have you always liked younger men?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin looked directly in Mimi’s eyes and tried to keep a straight face.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Mimi pulled an comic face and made a mock display of being “found-out.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Aigoo unnie, You’ve discovered my dirty little secret —I am deeply in love with young men —the younger the better --didn’t you say your brother was still in diapers?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The pair fell apart in giggling.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Yah! Where is the alcohol I was promised?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Jaehwa, who had earlier excused himself to buy drinks for the evening after saying something about now working as a manager for some large corporation that he'd causally name dropped to whoever would listen said it was his pleasure to pay for everyone --arrived right at that moment with a couple other young men in tow. With these new additions to the booth there was at least dozen shot glasses and couple bottles of something harder than their usual soju.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Mikyong, sat up and flirtatiously looked the newcomers up and down. “Aiii, Jaehwa --Who are these?” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Jaehwa, answered for them —they’d noticed the table of six women siting together, and wanted to buy them drinks. Jaehwa, had invited them to join them at the table.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">After some hasty introductions and a few rounds of shots, the women learned that the men, minus Jaehwa were all soldiers on weekend leave with their sergeant --that was in serious need of a girl.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The group after consuming enough liquid courage to make a few stupid choices --decided to make their way out onto the dance floor.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The music throbbed in her ears and the lights made walking in a straight line difficult, but Hajin was determined to push her way through the mass of people standing near the club’s dance floor. She wasn’t sure if by the time she made it to the restroom --peeing would be the only thing she’d need to do. She was bumped by a couple dancing too enthusiastically accidentally fell into the muscular back of man in a uniform. From her position against his back she could make out the bottom of tattoo poking out from under one of his perfectly rolled sleeves. It must have started from shoulder since it ended near the elbow.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">But before she could continue drunkenly thinking about the tattoo --the man surprised by her fall turned around to face her. Jin immediately removed herself from his back and nodded an apology. She really needed that bathroom.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Mianhaeyo.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Soo?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Soo-ya?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The man excitedly grabbed her by the shoulders. And all her drunk brain could process was--</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Aigoo. Why do I end up running into the crazy ones… Just when I'm trying to find the bathroom... Who does this even guy think I…? </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin looked up into the face of a man and stood there dumbly staring at the jagged scar running down the left side of his face and around the eye.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Oh fuck. Her brain added it all up. The scar. The tattoo. This guy is either a gang member or was a gang member. I am so fucked right now -why did I have to stumble into -him. He's also probably on something.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“My Soo-ya, I’ve finally found you! It’s taken me so long… I’m so sorry to make you wait so long --but I’ve finally found you at last —my Soo-ya.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The man moved to pull her towards himself. That pull finally caused her brain to re-engage is connection with her voice.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh! Jaehwa! Someone! Help!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin struggled against the hold he had on her —slipping out of his grasp.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The man took a step towards her.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Hae Soo? Soo, You… Don’t you remember me? Its me, So…”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>No only is he a gang member and a freak, but a crazy one named --“So." What kind of name is that anyway?! Yahhh. You freak. I’m pretty sure I would remember if we ever encountered each other before.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin pointed at him, “Yahhh! I don’t know you, stop saying I know you —Do you think I would ever forget a face as creepy as yours?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Jaehwa followed by couple of the club's bouncers rushed up at that moment. The bouncers made a move for the man, while Jaehwa, reassuringly held onto Jin’s shoulders, pulling her back towards himself and away from the man with the scar.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>“…</em>Soo, you know me… tell them you know me… Its me, So… I’m so sorry Soo for… everything… for not trusting… not believing...”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The man struggled against the two bouncers for a few more moments before relaxing into a hopelessness. Just before they completely escorted him out of the club, Hajin made eye contact with him one last time and all she could see in the man’s eyes was the complete absence of hope --he looked dead inside. Like she'd somehow killed him with her words...</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Perhaps I was too harsh on him by calling him a creep… but… he did try to assault me… and that face… He’s gotta just be on something and tripping hard.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin patted her heart as it raced erratically.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Deep breaths. Deep breaths. I’m okay.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Jaehwa, pulled her into a reassuring hug.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“You okay?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin smiled at Jaehwa’s concern for her.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>He really does have a heart of gold, even if sometimes he's a little rough around the edges —and doesn’t know when to stop gambling… He’s definitely someone I can rely on to always be there…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Oppa, I’m fine. The man didn’t really hurt me —I was just more shocked —he was probably just on something.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Mikyong and the roommates appeared.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Unnie! I’m so sorry!” Mikyong, looked Hajin over and dusted off her shoulders like a mother-hen, “you know those men that bought us drinks earlier —that crazy freak is their sergeant, but don't worry --they were all super apologetic when they heard what happened —apparently, they’ve never even seen their sergeant flip out like that before —at them or anyone else for that matter.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“I think, I’ve had enough of the club." The alcohol was kicking in again, now that she didn't have adrenaline pumping through her veins and suddenly she felt, tired. " —However Unnie, perhaps I could do with one last drink --you know to finish calming my nerves.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Instead of walking home or catching a bus like they normally did —Jaehwa called a taxi, ordered delivery fried chicken to their apartment and made sure she’d drunk enough water to make it to work the next morning.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">His simple acts of chivalry worked their charms on Go Hajin --as they ended the night together in Jaehwa’s bed.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The man with the scar however, spent the night alone, on a hard cot. Locked up by the military police on the charges of, "misconduct." </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The story isn't over. This is just a low point.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Interlude II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hajoon cleans for a date. Hajin teases her brother and discovers they know something about someone in common. Chun-ja shows up at the very end. ;)</p><p>Enjoy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">————————Go Hajoon————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Go Hajoon’s Apartment</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">April 22nd, 2017 — Afternoon</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joon finally had a day off from, and was busy cleaning the apartment —Chun-ja had finally agreed to come over and taste test a slice of his best cake.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The case had finally been closed. It was now up to the prosecutor.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jeon Kai, had been re-located back the SWAT team he’d been apart of before there investigative force had been formed. Choi Jong-soo, had been given a promotion and was now working a desk job in another department. All that was left of their little family was Chun-ja and himself.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joon placed a small frame containing a photo commemorated the four of them on the table while he cleaned the shelf it normally lived on. The picture had been taken about a week ago —the day their task force had been disbanded. He stood in the middle as the tallest of the force with his arms slung over Sung and Jeon shoulders, Choi, about equal height with Chun-ja smiled on the other side of Jeon. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A month before the photo was taken, after several months of dead ends and reading what felt like hundreds of case reports, it had all boiled down to Kai receiving an a tip from a former friend still on the inside that had information on where Mao was currently keeping the drugs. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The next step was waiting until there was some movement on the them. This is where Joon and Choi stepped in by going undercover as potential buyers worthy of being taken seriously by Mao —landing them an invitation to a secret buyer’s meeting. The secret meeting however had gone sideways when their informant had earlier that day, panicked and made a mistake. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>I’d ended up in an hostage situation with Mao’s second lieutenant holding a gun at my head. He told the police that he would shoot me if they came a step closer. I could hear in my ear piece they’d called in back-ups to surround the location, but Kai still rushed in anyway. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joon had always known that when he’d decided to become a policeman —there might come one day where he would be called upon to lay down his life in order to save others —and he was willing to do it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>But even yet, Kai saved me. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joon would never forget the fire he saw in Kai’s eyes as he rushed in. Braking all police protocol Kai, had shot the gun held to his head out the lieutenant’s hand, and with a spinning round house kick, Kai had slammed his foot into the guy’s head.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Mao’s lieutenant had tried to fight back, but with a bloodied-up hand and mild concussion the fight was over.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The apartment door squeaked opened and closed with the familiar slam and set of beeps.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’re here early—oh, its you. How was work?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin slumped over the dinning room table mumbling something unintelligible to Joon’s ears.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…So I take it…?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I didn’t make any of my sales goals today, yesterday or the days before if you were asking…” Hajin leaned back in her seat, spun on the smooth surface of the chair, and faced Joon, “I don’t get it —my boss chewed me out… why does she set these inexplicably high expectations sales —when she knows that people don’t buy that much —does she just enjoy chewing all of us out one by one —me more than the others… I just… space out more…. I don’t know why…” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin spun back around in her chair to face the table once more.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon went back to his cleaning, a moment later he heard tut and a swear word or two and then a something between a grunt, sob and whine. Glancing over his shoulder, his sister had flopped forward onto the table dramatically.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Aigoo, Noona… you’re going to ruin the mood around the apartment…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Why don’t you go for a run if you’re just going to sit around the house frustrated —I’ll let you barrow my headphones?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jinnie, sat up sniffing the air —pointedly ignoring the headphone offer.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Are you baking something?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon nodded mumbling “Maja.” And kept on cleaning —ignoring the real questions of what or why he was baking.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Mwo?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At that question, Joon finally heaved a sigh and tossed the rag he was cleaning with over one shoulder.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Okay fine, I’ll tell you…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>The girl in the picture —the on the table —I work with her —and…” Joon, sheepishly patted the back of his neck, “—I’m asking her… over… here…” A stupid grin appeared at the corners of his mouth.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin finished what Joon was clumsily struggling at.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’re asking her over here on a date!” Hajin picked up the frame to get a closer look at the girl.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Anni!” Joon responded too quickly and forcefully, as he blushed bright red the next moment,“…Taste test.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m baking a cake —the one Eomma used to make for us, and I thought… I’d invite Chunnie over for a taste test….”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Joonie, let me get this straight —you have a crush on your partner, but you don’t want to come out and confess to her —because she’s your partner…. Aiii…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…Nae”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Who are these other people in the photo? I’m not sure you ever told me who you were working with these days… also —why did you even take a photo? Ahh...who even does that these days?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>You never asked and you were still recovering … and now I don’t even work with two of them.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon, walked back to table and looking over Jinnie’s shoulder he pointed at each person in the photo. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The one on the left there is obviously Chunnie —then me, then their’s my hyungs, Jeon Kai, and Choi Jung-soo —Jeon in the middle there was the team leader on our last investigation —they transferred him back to his SWAT squadron in some other district last week, and Choi was given a promotion at our station about the same time —so now he works a desk job in another department.” Joon, turned back to his cleaning leaving Jin with the photo. “All that’s left of our little team is just me and Chunnie.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh… Is that why you’ve framed this photo?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Joon nodded an affirmative non-verbal.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I feel like I’ve seen Kai before… Oh!” Hajin nearly dropped the photo on the floor. “Joon! I’ve told you about my encounter with a crazy guy in a club —where was it… Itaewon?” Jinnie turned back around in chair,“Anyway it doesn’t matter —I was going out with my friends… from back then… to celebrate… I’d just passed my Esthetician’s certification and I swear —Do you see that faint scar on his face” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon, walked back over to her again.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nae, Kai has a scar that runs down the left side of his face. I don’t really notice it anymore and anyway its barely noticeable in person —how did you even see it in this photo?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I swear, Kai, was that crazy guy.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Jeon Kai, crazy? No way. The most emotional I’ve ever seen him was —was when he saved me.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Are you sure…?” Hajoon tilted his head incredulously.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nae!” Jinnie was now excitedly tapping on the his face in the photo “Its the same facial scar —I swear! This is even weirder to run into him again… or rather, to have you run into him again.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I know you don’t believe me… ahh…does he have a tattoo on his…” She sat for a moment trying figure out her left from right, “ahh… left… upper arm?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Kai does… have a tattoo… there… What?!… How does Jinnie know about it?? He doesn’t broadcast that information since most people find it offensive… I’ve only seen it because we’ve been in the locker room at the same time… She hadn’t been?… She was at the club late that night…?</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon scrunched up his face at Jin.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yahh! I know what you’re thinking!” She bopped him on the side of the head with her house slipper, “—I saw it poking out from under his sleeve in the club…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They awkwardly cleared their throats at the same time.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A knock on the door made them both jump.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Chun-ja.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Aissh! Make yourself scarce!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon whipped the cleaning rag at her.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jinnie, stifled a giggle, grabbed his headphones off the counter by the front door and slipped her feet into a battered pair of running shoes.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And I did hear your offer to barrow your head phones.” She winked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Fighting!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin, opened the door to let Chun-ja in. Upon seeing Jin instead of Joon, Chun-ja bobbed an awkward polite greeting.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Annyeonghaseyo?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Annyeong.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin stepped around Chun-ja, and out the door to let her in. Before the door could close and she silently gave Joon the “fighting!” fist from the balcony outside their apartment.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Confession time again --can you imagine SJK or PSJ baking you a cake just to taste? ^_^ I can dream. haha.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Name</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Go Hajin meets someone. &gt;_&gt;</p><p>...I told you, we were entering the final phase...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————————Go Hajin———————————————</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Myeongdong, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">April, 24th, 2017 — Afternoon</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Go Hajin lazily leaned on the make-up counter mindlessly shifting her weight between her sore, high-heeled feet. The morning had been slow, and the high school girls that commonly stopped in on their walk home wouldn’t be by for least another hour or so. She’d helped some wealthy young woman with a make-up tutorial for a wedding or something that morning, but since then the whole shop had been dead. To make matters worse, the bright spring sun slipping in though the shop’s windows was slowly lulling her to sleep.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Chun-ja was nice, and apparently enjoyed Eomma’s cake recipe. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin balled her hand into a fist and yawned. One of her co-workers gave her a raised eye-brow.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>I wonder how Eomma is doing these days… guess I haven’t spoken to her in awhile… </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Out of the corner of her eye she caught movement outside the shop door and snapped to attention, walking out in front of the counter to greet them politely and start her memorized sales script. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">It was a middle-aged gentleman with glasses. He looked like he was trying to decide whether or not he should come in.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Score. I’ll definitely be making my sales goal today.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">She watched him stare through the window for a couple more minutes.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Trying to see if you’ve seen your wife or mistress wear any of these brands?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">These were her favorite customers —they never knew what to get, so she could easily up-sell them on all the extra products, plus a more expensive gift box. They were always more than willing to pay extra for the quality and prestige of a designer label. Literally all she had to do was in her best customer service voice drop the words, “designer brand” casually and she could already see them reaching for their wallets.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">At last the gentleman made up his mind and stepped through the door.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Annyeonghaseyo.” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin bowed a greeting to the customer. She immediately started her usual sales spiel, but the gentleman silently walked past her and over to one of the counters. She glaced in the direction of the counter</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s1">The Goryeo Period Make-up Culture line?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The line was comprised primarily of facial serums and light foundations --though it featured organic extracts it wasn’t as popular among the shops normal clientele —but there were a few products that sold well enough that the shop kept the display up.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The middle-aged man suddenly acknowledging her presence turned and stared at her.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Creepy. But if he’s willing to buy…whatever…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin cleared her throat but continued to hold a practiced sales smile.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Is that his smile? Because its just giving me the creeps.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Is your last name is Go?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>How…whatt??</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Yae…?” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Oh… name badge…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Ahhh… Nae. I’m Go Hajin”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The man continued his intense stare.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>What is his deal with my name? Does he know me from somewhere --the way he's looking at me?</em></span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Did you know, the the last name of Go, was Hae in the Goryeo era?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>No?… why would I…?... Okay, at least he’d giving me an opening to sell… maybe?… aiishh… I really thought this guy would be a jack-pot.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh… Really?" Hajin feigned interest in the subject, "…. Ahhh… We also just happen to be selling make-up from the Goryeo era —thats a fun coincidence…”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">She smiled at the end hoping to sell the segue back to the topic of make-up and away from her last name…</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The man shuck his head a little, “there’s no such thing as a coincidence--”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Aiii… just keep redirecting back to sales…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The gentleman continued, “--things only return to their original place.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>What on earth did that even mean??</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“…Nae?” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The man scrunched up his nose for moment then added, “It smells a like roses in here?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>We sell a lot of rose based products… Why did I have to take this customer? I could’ve let someone else… oh well… this is my way in to get the sell.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“That would be because many of our products contain organic rose oil —This serum here for example.” Hajin carefully picked up the Goryeo line display bottle to show the gentleman.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“This particular serum uses a special mix of Bulgarian rose oil and Houttuynia Cordata extract.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“…<em>You didn’t use the Bulgarian rose oil I gave you on your birthday for that did you?”</em></span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Wh-ere… where did that memory come from? I’d used the Bulgarian rose oil for a facial mask for…?… But when had I done this? Oh god… not one of these again…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Jin’s heart raced —she hadn’t had one of these “episodes” in months…</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Fuck… not in front of this weird customer… nooo… just hold it together a little longer…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The gentleman stared at her again.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Pull it together…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“Are you all right?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">“….Huhh? Oh, yea... its nothing…”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Breath. I can keep going —he still seems vaguely interested…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>Ahh… The serum is totally organic and good for your skin —so you can use it regularly…” She plopped the display container back down not the counter, “Ahh… Did you know their was something similar to today’s BB cream or foundation that was used during the Goryeo period?” She opened the little black bottle meant to be sold to men, “many men use it these days.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“…prepare yourself —from now on I will never let you go…” </em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">This time the memory wasn’t just a voice —she could actually see him… his face, his scar etched around his left eye. She intimately knew the timber of his voice. His calm intensity and honesty —she could almost remember what he had said next…</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>I know him. I used to apply make-up over that scar. Everyday…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The memory of "him" suddenly made her heart ache.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Why, why?…. Why does thinking about the man with a scar in a mask make me so... heartbroken?… Why?… Hold it together Jin —at least until this customer has left…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The bottle slipped out of her hands and made a thunk on the floor. Her hearing went fuzzy as her throat started to constrict. She felt like the floor had become a rolling ocean underneath here, and she was teetering on the edge of falling in.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Oh god. No. God, not again… not again. Breath. Focus. Breath. You’re at your work. There is a customer in front of you.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The bottle hitting the floor startled a few costumers near the counter she was at with the gentleman --out of the corner of blurry vision she thought she saw one of her co-workers walked over.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Though the fog she heard the gentleman suggest to someone that she should probably lie down and get some rest.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>God….What is wrong with me? Why does this keep happening?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">She felt the co-worker support her under one arm, “you shouldn’t be here —I’ll cover the rest of your shift —why don’t you call your brother and get some rest.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The girl led her over to a chair somewhere behind the counter —away from the customers. A few minutes later she returned with Hajin’s phone.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Hajin offered a weak “thanks” to her co-worker…</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1"> <em>I can’t even remember the girl’s name...</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Looking down at the familiar rectangle in her hand she numbly auto-dialed Hajoon.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for the comments! Its really encouraging to hear back from you guys. :D Yay. I also enjoy responding.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Bomb</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>SWAT team Kai responds to the a bomb threat. ;)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————————Jeon Kai———————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Downtown Seoul, South Korea </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">May 19th, 2017 — Noon</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They’d received a call about a bomb threat about 30 minutes earlier. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Apparently some extremist group based out of Seoul, saw a collection of ancient artwork on loan from North Korea as as a possible threat to Seoul.discovered in some unmarked tomb just outside of The artwork was currently on loan as an act of “good-will” between the North and South. However, this group only saw it as potential threat, so had placed their own bomb in the Seoul Historical Art Museum.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai and his squad were currently on their way to the location. Hopefully, they would only find an empty back-pack or suitcase —but there was always an off-chance of there actually being a live bomb.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>The exhibit is a collection of work from the city of Kaesong.A city that I helped build and made capital during my reign. They called it Gaeseong-bu —after me. Gwangjong.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The SWAT van sped down the city street towards the art museum. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Hell, I might even recognize a few pieces of artwork from my own collection…</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The vehicle ground to a halt and the five member EOD squad piled out the back doors. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai quickly scanned the around the outside of the building —getting the lay of the land. The local police had should already have escorted the people off the building’s premises and were working at securing the safety barrier around the building. The firetrucks were already in the place with the firemen already running hoses.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They’d already gone through the necessary checks to make sure everyone was on com and ready.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Everyone had the exact gear they needed to complete their part of the mission.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Alright, lets get this started.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He pressed a button at his wrist to speak over income, “Officer Kim, work with the emergency services already on site and work to finish securing the police barrier, when done —join Officer Oh at the command station —copy?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His ear piece buzzed and he heard officer Kim give a curt, “copy that sir.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Officer Oh set up the command station —copy?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His ear piece crackled again, “copy that sir.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Officers, Byun and Shin with me —copy?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After both officers, gave a practiced, “copy that sir.” Kai, gave them each instructions to search the first and third floors of the museum for any suspicious looking items. The police and the building’s security hadn’t identified any suspicious objects in their quick sweep though the building. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He gave them the order to give the all clear signal when finished with the sweep of each floor that was negative.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The second floor containing the actual ancient art display on loan from Kaesong would be his floor. Since the extremist group saw the display as their primary target —it had the highest chances of being the location where the bomb was be planted.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai thumped Byun and Shin's helmets for good luck before separating.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The second floor was a maze of murals, installations containing artwork primarily from the Joseon era —an apparently prosperous time in Korean history according to all the large infographics explaining the significance of the each art installation he passed on his way to main display at the center of the floor.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Goryeo Era Artwork”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The first painting on display was one that he seen dozens of times… hundreds of times. His favorite brother, Baek Ah had painted it by the request of his father.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was a rendering of the first official ceremony to chase out the evil spirits that he’d ever been apart of. It was of a man clad all in red wearing a grotesque mask. He’d danced the main part that night in place of his older brother Mu.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Looking now at the painting he could hear the drum beats and the pounding of choreographed intricate footfalls accented by metalic beat of swords. The following chaos when the choreography of the dance was broken, the pain of the sword strike to his arm. The frenzied run through the night to find the would be assassins.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The infographic postulated that this piece and the other’s found with it in displayable condition from the tomb were all painted by the same artist —since they were all stamped with the same official seal. Art historians could also see a similarity in the way the artist formed his ink strokes on the paper throughout .</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Were all these paintings that had been placed in Baek Ah’s tomb that they had uncovered? I died before he did… Did he choose to be buried alone and apart from the royal family?</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Baek Ah… you romantic… did you save all of your paintings and have your children bury them with you?</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He stepped in the little room and followed the wall. The next painting was of him again this time of the rain ceremony. It was him standing hand outstretched in the rain.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>My people thought I brought the rain and after that —in one moment I wasn't a monster… </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He had been the one to commission Beak Ah, to paint the scene after he’d ascended the throne as a commemoration of the day the gods had “selected” him as the rightful ruler of Goryeo.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai shuck his head to try and refocus on the present.<em> You’re here, apart of a bomb squad. Not to fucking gawk at paintings. This figure isn’t who you are anymore —</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As much as he wanted to spend an afternoon with all these paintings Jeon Kai was now the captain of, Bomb Squad Three—not a prince or king. Just a member of the Central Seoul police station.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There were paintings of when Soo had visited his father King Teajo for the first time, The day he’d saved her, Jung and Wook from a gang —how they’d all managed to get themselves into that fix —was beyond him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The memory bought with it an involuntary smirk —all he’d had to do was ride up and say something —and the whole gang had taken off in terror of the, “Wolf-Dog” prince.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The next painting was again of a happier time. He’d just started living in the palace and all the princes were training with the palace guards. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The next painting was of Eunnie’s birthday party. The silly little one that Soo-ya thrown just for him. The was day she’d sung for all of them. The moment he’d heard sing, her voice had placed him into a trance.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>“…Maybe everyone in the world had a nightmares, </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>How can I cry by myself? </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>There’s a place I wanted to return to, </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Now even my footprints seem unfamiliar to me, </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>My dear friend, </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Thank you for being you.”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There was another painting of just young Soo and Wook in the snow. followed by the death of Lady Hae. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>The mission —find the bomb.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai glanced to the center of the room where there was an installation display of various objects uncovered in tomb. Inspecting all the openable containers for a bomb. As they were just a collection of storage pots and other mundane objects of everyday Goryeo life that he hadn’t spent most of his life around. There was however a small collection of jeweled hair pins and a small golden elephant charm.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He glanced back at the wall he was walking along.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There in the simple was one of the many copies Soo made of the poem he’d given her…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“When the water has run dry, sit and watch for the rising clouds.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The next paintings few paintings were all of the same stately woman —Seol.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>These must have been mock-ups of the the larger portrait I commissioned him to paint. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There at the end of the maze like room was the wall-sized portrait of himself. <em>How had Beak Ah ended up with this?</em> His eyes flitted to the granite placard secured to the right painting. He skimmed the content that summarizing his life as Gwangjong, fourth king of Goryeo. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">This particular painting was donated to the museum some odd years ago and wasn’t apart of the Kaesong exhibit.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Looking back at his likeness, from the moment he’d first seen it he’d always hated how Baek Ah, had made the painting too realistic. <em> Look at that —he even captured how my left eye never opened as much as other. My ears look like they practically stick straight out from my head. Aiishh —that harsh top-knot makes me look old… </em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Here Kai leaned in to look at the painting closer.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Did he paint, bags under my eyes?</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai tutted to himself as turned the last corner of the exhibit, and there on the wall directly ahead of him, was one final painting depicting Gwangjong, alone in the palace courtyard.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>ahhh —Baek Ah, you never showed me this painting…</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Before he could continue reminiscing or even finishing his sweep of the second floor, the sound of gentle sobbing and mumbles could be heard coming from the floor below the picture.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">
    <em>Fuck —hadn’t the police escorted everyone out?! How had they missed this last woman?! How? Aiishhh, if I’d known she was here —I wouldn’t have spent anytime looking at the paintings. How many precious minutes did I waste?</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He glanced at his watch —he’d only entered the room five minutes ago.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Approaching the girl from behind, Kai extended a hand to help get her up off the floor.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ma’am, I’m Captain Jeon Kai, with the Central Seoul Precinct —you need to exit the premises immediately.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Confession time again. LJG in combat gear/uniform --is the best thing. Seriously embarrassing fangirl moment here... like come on --doesn't every girl have that dream of being rescued by a man in uniform? No one else? Just me... ok. xD</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Remember</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oh boy. Um. Yeah, Hajin remembers. Finally. I didn't do this justice imo... but y'alls have seen the drama. ;)</p><p>--Sorry about the late update, my RL suddenly got really busy this last week... so yesterday and today were the first days I was able to work on it.</p><p>Also --if any of you have gotten confused as to where we are/when we are in time --always refer back to the date at the beginning of each chapter or section. I know I write a little scattered. I'm a total newb.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">—————————Go Hajin————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Downtown Seoul, South Korea </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">May 19th, 2017 — 10am</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Go Hajin sat serenely sipping her cappuccino across from —<em>Aigooo…what is his name? He’s in finance… right? </em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">This was the third first date she’d gone on since she’d finally decided (after her younger brother —the one that had always been tunnel focused on becoming a military officer or detective was making better head-way in the relationship department than she was), to try dating again… What could be the harm —it was at least something to do besides getting drunk with co-workers that she couldn’t even keep their names straight, going on morning runs and trying street with her —almost in a relationship younger brother.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…so you work at a designer cosmetics shop —where was that again?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…Nae?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Aigoo. Had he been talking this whole time?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin, took another sip of her coffee to try to remember what he’d just been talking about.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She daintily set the cup back down on its matching saucer. “The Myeongdong district. I believe its one of the trendier shopping districts.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So you design the products?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Design the products? —How had he gotten that idea?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh… no I just sell them…” Hajin, felt her cheeks turn a little pink —why was it suddenly embarrassing to admit she was just a — “Sales girl?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ohhh… nae, nea…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>That’s right… his name was… Kim… Kim Chul Soon?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What characters do you use to spell your name?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nae?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Oh boy… why did I ask that? What am I an ajumma now? </em>Jin inwardly rolled her eyes at her inabilities to carry on a conversation.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>How old had he said he was on his profile? Because… he looks like he could be 40… even older?? Is the grey in his hair? He could at least dye it…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahhh…. My parents used the character “zhe” meaning wise for Chul, and the character “chun” meaning honesty for the Soon.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>So you’re wise and honest…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Why did you ask?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kim Chul Soon, sat forward in his chair expectantly.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Because I couldn’t think of anything else to ask you.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jin, took another sip of her coffee.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>At this rate I’m going to be done with my coffee in about… well, exactly two more questions…</em></span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I… wanted to know if you name… matched your career… and… well, since you’re in… finance, your name fits…” Hajin’s confidence faded at Kim’s confused expression.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m an engineer.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Damn.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kim Chul Soon, leaned back in his chair, “I did think about studying finance at university though.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Wonderful. Please tell me more about how you aced all your classes and how hard they all were.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>I eventually decided to stay with engineering because I plan on moving back to the US in a year or two to find a job with Google or Facebook…” Kim Chul Soon kept talking as Hajin’s mind began to wander again.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>So another yet another thing that I’m not good at. English. In three… two… one.. yep —he went to a college in the US. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…I eventually would like to retire by age 50 already married with two children that I can spend the rest of my time with —since my parents were always worki…” Kim Chul Soon, just kept talking. Somehow Hajin had managed to accidentally land on his favorite topic… his life plans. All she had to do was occasionally nod or offer a “Nae, nae…” here and there.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Looking out the window just to left of Kim’s head in boredom —she could just barely read a sandwich board sign with an arrow pointing in the direction of the Art Museum. The sign said something about a new art exhibit and something… something… about a limited and period in time. For a polite moment she thought about asking if he would be interested in visiting the museum, but quickly thought better of it.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A high school age couple walked by the cafe. They were so caught up in the enjoyment of the other’s company, that when the boy pointed at something out of view —the girl did a little hop of glee after seeing whatever the boy had pointed out. After the display of excitement from the girl, the boy made some comment about it via hand gesture —most likely about how cute she was —because a moment later the girl touched her face and looked away from the boy blushing. Jin caught herself involuntarily smiling as she watched them disappear behind Kim Chul Soon’s head and around the corner.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…Do you have any thoughts on which neighborhoods are better to buy a house in —with the housing market situation these days…?”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">….H<em>uh? Aigoo… When did we switch to the topic discussing the various merits of home ownership in the various Seoul neighborhoods?</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahhh… I’m still renting this moment —subletting a room actually.” She nodded trying to add weight to her answer.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Technically, I’m still bumming a room off my brother… but I buy foodfor him and pay him for… </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kim’s response was, “Oh… Nae, nae. Of course…” He nodded thoughtfully as much to himself as to her.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jin took another sip of her coffee. The faint loft music playing in the cafe filled the silent void between them.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Only one more sip left at the bottom of my cup…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">To there right was a group of school age kids sitting in a ring of couches, from what she could hear from the enthusiastic murmuring was that they were playing an MMRPG on their tablets and currently fighting their way through a particularly hard dungeon level.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Would you like me to order a slice of cake to go with your cappuccino?” Kim finally took his first sip of coffee from the un-touched cup on the saucer in front of him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No no…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>I’m done. I just want this date to be over so I can go home and change out of this outfit.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kim nodded again, “Should we go for a walk then?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Aigoo… he really doesn’t read body language at all…?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I… actually have to…” She glanced down at her cellphone, 10:46, “-start my shift at work soon —this date has been nice —but I really must be going.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin stood up from the IKEA table, gathering up her purse. jacket, and the last sip of coffee in one continuous movement. Swallowing the last sip she set the cup back down. She’d given him an hour of her time.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Bowing politely to Kim Chul Soon, she took her leave of the table and silently prayed to never run into him again on her way to the door.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The bell on the door happily rang as she easily pushed it open to leave the cafe.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The scent of tires and exhaust from the busy intersection burned in her nose —however, it was better than the warm dark roasted scent of the cafe containing Kim Chul Soon.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Well. I’m not doing that again for a while. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A taxi pulled up on the side of the curb assuming she would need a ride somewhere —she silently waved him on.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin ran a hand up through her bangs. <em>Now to home… Shit… </em>Stopping in her tracks for moment she inhaled and balling her hands into a fists… <em>that would require me to walk back in front of the cafe windows… or worse run into Chul Soon leaving the cafe…</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Nope. Not gonna happen. I’ll take any other way home…. or just stall until he’s definitely left by walking in this direction for a while.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With that she shrugged the pursehigher up onto her shoulder and kept walking in the direction she’d been going in mindlessly after leaving the coffee shop.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It wasn’t that Kim Chul Soon, was a terrible person —he was just a —bland person. And they so obviously grown up in a different worlds, that they had nothing in common.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her thumbs flicked over the touch screen of her phone to write a message. “Joon, just wa-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin glanced up from the text she was composing about the date to make sure she wasn’t running into an light posts or bumping into unsuspecting pedestrians.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>The Seoul Art Museum. Oh…. this is the direction that sign was pointing… </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin stopping walking to read the giant sign hanging on the wall of the ornate brick building.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Goryeo period art exhibit on loan from Kaesong, North Korea for a limited time. Goryeo? The strange man that held eye contact for too long in the shop talked about Goryeo and… my family name…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She stood outside the building staring dumbly at the sign. A blur of people must have walked around her as she contemplated the prospect of entering the museum. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After her brief moment of indecision, Hajin walked up the steps to entrance of the museum. She paid the fee for a day pass and passed through the turn-stile.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The first presentation in the museum was a collection of well preserved large Joseon period statues. Roughly pitted by nature and time, but still recognizable as the intended animal and or person. Next was a selection of ornate seated bodhisattvas each with a small placard describing their unique provenance from around East and South East Asia. There was a selection of pieces by artists that were done in honor of those that had died during the Korean War. There was a whole corner dedicated to the ornate embroidery and craftsmanship of the hanbok from its earliest patterns to its modern day remixes on the original patterns.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The whole of the first floor felt like a modge-podge of random moments in Korea’s long history.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>They need to rethink how they layout this first floor —because this is a total fucking maze —no wonder not many people visit this museum.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Eventually she found her way up to the second floor.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At the top of the stairs on her right was another sign directing her toward the entrance of Goryeo period exhibit. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Unconsciously, she found followed the signs to the entrance.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The first piece of artwork was of figure dressed red dancing next to a darker gargoyle type figure dressed in a dark robe. The longer she stared at it the more she was certain —she’d been there?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Why… Why does this painting feel so familiar to me? </em>She could remember the cold fall night she’d spent the afternoon and evening with Chae Ryung —it had been the first time she’d actually had —fun since arriving. It had just been her and Chae, no one else from the Hwangbo family had joined them. She’d spent the day being her normal self —and soaking up all the the sights of tumblers and entertainers. the smells of sweet incense and food roasted over fires… but… that wasn’t the only time she’d done this… later… much later… Hadn’t it been the best and worst day?…. <em>Did I really live those memories? Or… was this a dream? How do I know this Chae or the Hwangbo’s? Who are they?</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She entered the room and could feel the rise in her blood pressure. The next painting was of a single man reaching up to the sky. She knew this moment intimately —this was her doing, <em>if I hadn’t…. If I hadn’t what?</em> She stood there for moment and suddenly the flashback from the day with the strange customer… <em>This is the man. He was from the Goryeo period. I witnessed this moment live. The 4th Prince. I shaped history in that moment. If I hadn’t covered his scar he would have never been the prince that summoned the rain. </em>And there it was —her memory of the day. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She was standing there hot, and bent at attention with the rest of junior court ladies, praying that she wouldn’t see the 4th covered in mud this time. She glanced up at the sound of foot steps. A there he was walking into the palace, no mask —every bit the 4th Prince he was. Brief eye-contact —the intensity of a king in that gaze. A king —Gwangjong. <em> Panic </em>—why him? Why was he ill fated to kill all his brothers —and had I done this?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That had also been the first day she’d seen the 4th’s smile.And it was, handsome.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The words slipped out of her mouth as she stared at the painting, “it wasn’t a dream… It’s not a dream… I really was there… I lived in Goryeo.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She turned and the next painting was a comical rendering of day she’d met Taejo for the first time. <em>“You are very benevolent, Your Majesty.” </em>That had been the first she been able to place where she’d ended up in history. <em>I’d been there giving handmade soaps to his Queens —and he’d suddenly walked in… </em>Jin smiled at the memory. She’d reacted the way she’d always seen portrayed in dramas when someone met the king for the first time. She’d actually been saved by his presence in the room that day.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There was a painting of the day she’d followed Jung out of the palace and into a forest, and then… tried to save him. <em>What was I thinking that day? I only made the problem worse…I must have suddenly seen Hajoon in him in that moment… </em>Wook had shown up thanks to Chae and tried to saved them —only to be caught by the gang also… <em>It was finally the 4th that saved us all… I don't even now why he showed up that day… </em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There was another of all the princes training with the palace guard, and then there was one of her silly little birthday party for Eunnie… <em>Eunnie… </em>Hajin, fought back the tears thinking about his death… and tried to focus on the party. That had also been the day where she’d started to see the fragmentation of brothers. Yu had tricked her and Eunnie and made the 4th take his mask off… she’d tried to console him, and he’d only lashed out at her, <em>“…your expression makes me crazy —if you look at me again —I’ll kill you.”</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Who was the artist that had painted all of these? They were clearly all done by the same artist, but who would’ve been there to have witnessed and felt the need to capture these specific moments —or even known about them?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Baek Ah.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Tall, gangly and handsome, he was an outsider to the palace. Always carrying that sketch pad around with him —painting whatever caught his fancy. She’d often noted how he’d perfected the art of fading into the background when around his family. Never ambitious, nor well connected enough to join in the fight for the throne —he was a romantic, born into the wrong family —at the wrong time. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Being an outsider himself —he’d also been the first to accept the 4th back in as his older brother.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The painting of of the death of Lady Hae made her heart break. <em>You were there all along Baek Ah… I’m so sorry… He never loved her as much as you did…</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">By this point the tears that had been welling up in her eyes started to run down her cheeks in streams. The small room felt like it was a carnival ride whirling and rotating around her. These were moments of her life. This was the missing piece in her life. This is why life her in the present would never be the same.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her life in the past as Hae Soo… </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hae Soo, cousin of Lady Hae, </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hae Soo, intended wife of King Taejo, </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hae Soo, Junior Court Lady, then Court Lady and then finally Senior Court Lady of the Damiwon. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hae Soo, King Gwangjong’s…?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hae Soo, wife of Wang Jung. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hae Soo, mother of… Seol.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>My daughter. My beautiful precious little bundle… Were you ever able to read my journals… did you ever find out?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jin, unsteady turned to look at the end of the strange little room filled with memories of her past life, and there on the wall was her 4th prince. Wang So. Gwangjong. Pyeha. The blood rushed in her ears as she calmly walked up to the painting. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So many memories —if she closed her eyes she could almost picture them swirling around in her head.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“…She is mine. I said, she is mine.”</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“You’d better prepare yourself now, I will never let you go.”</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“The moment you touched my face… I decided I would never let you go”</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His words echoed in her head, and shattered apart at her last memory of him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The last time she’d seen him he’d lashed out in anger —like a cornered animal. Like a wolf.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“…you will never see me again!”</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">How many letters had she sent to the palace pleading with him to forgive her? How many times had she dreamt of him visiting her at Jung’s residence? How many times she’d secretly hoped and prayed about him finding out about her pregnancy and them being able to love him as much as she wanted in another world and time.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin glanced at the placard focusing in on bit and pieces of the text. Gwangjong was a good and wise king. Emancipated the Slaves. Given name was Wang So, born 4th in line to the throne. Extensive Purge.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>…Gwangjong was a good and wise king… I did it, I guess. He wasn’t remembered as the bloody monarch that killed all his brothers… I helped him…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Why did these memories have to return? </em> Hajin wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, and turned to leave the exhibit. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">One last painting. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her 4th Prince. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Alone. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Alone in the cold palace.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m sorry.” The tears that she’d just wiped away, returned, flooding down her cheeks</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m so sorry for leaving you all alone…” A sob escaped her lips and her body began to shake. The whole realization of… everything hitting her. She felt he knees cave beneath her. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>How many times had he placed his life on the line for me? And I left him… but I had to… my body couldn’t survive one more day in the palace… and I had to protect our Seol… I had to… leave you…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">All she could say between sobs on the floor was, “I’m sorry…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Between her sobs she was able heard a faint intake of breath coming from somewhere behind her followed by a small tut and then words, </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ma’am, I’m Captain Jeon Kai, with the Central Seoul Precinct —you need to exit the premises immediately.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don't worry --we aren't done...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Smile</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Aafter that double cliffhanger... this is for all of you. :)</p><p>Enjoy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">————————Jeon Kai—————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seoul Art Museum, South Korea </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">May 19th, 2017 — 12:14pm</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The wall behind them exploded.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jeon grabbed for the sobbing girl on the floor, combat training instinctively kicking in as he protectively wrapped his arms around her body and using the concussion of the explosion to propel them forward. He tried unsuccessfully tried to direct their trajectory out the doorway and into the main hall of the second floor.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His head connected with something hard.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Darkness.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———————</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Only a few minutes must have passed before he came to —since his team hadn't located him after the explosion. All he could hear was the piercing sound of his ears ringing from the explosion. When he finally opened his eyes and tried to make sense of where he'd landed all around him with a cloud of dust and smoke that hurt his lung. His head and shoulder throbbed and he could feel something warm and wet running down his face.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai sat up, coughing --<em>There really was a bomb, </em>he ruefully shook his head as he leaned forward onto his .</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>The girl!</em> <em>I must’ve let go of my hold on her when I hit my head</em>. Kai, frantically searched the ground around him in the cloud of dust for a body.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His hands connected with a still lump of cloth and skin. <em>Fuck… Fuck, fuck, fuck… She’s...? Where the fuck is my team and the paramedics?!? </em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The dust around him began to settle allowing him to make out the curve of the woman's head, he probed around to find her carotid. <em>God, please let this girl live... </em>There beneath his fingers was the familiar rise and fall of a pulse.<em> Just passed out… she's just passed out. </em>The girl would live.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai breathed a sigh of relief, sitting back on his haunches… <em>If this girl had died that would be she'd be another death on me… I wasn’t focused on my mission --those damn paintings… and fucking memories… I messed-up… how did I the miss the bomb? </em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He closed his eyes to take in a few breaths and coughed again as dust and smoke met his lungs… <em>Well… </em> He glanced back into the gutted remains of the exhibit, <em>I'm sorry Baek Ah... your paintings are... gone…</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The ringing sensation in his ears had died down enough that he could finally make out the voices in his ear piece.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Captain Jeon! Can you hear me?!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Come in Captain Jeon!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He pressed the button on his wrist, “This is Captain Jeon, I need a paramedic team STAT —there’s an unconscious Jane Doe.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The voice of Sergeant Oh cut in, “The fuck?! There’s a girl in there?! We’re on our way up with the medic team, Sir!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The intercom went silent for a few moments before crackling again with more instructions. Coming back to his senses Kai stood up and rolled</span> <span class="s1"> the woman over into a proper recovery position.</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At the first sight of her face --even covered in dust, he felt the wind being knocked out of him all over again. He sat there for a moment struggling to catch his breath trying to calm himself down against the rising wave of panic that threatened to pull him under.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Soo-Go Hajin... </em>How? Why? Why was --she HERE?? </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Is this another coincidence that I saved you--and you're here?! If...If I hadn’t been here or if I’d been here too</em> ear-Red liquid mixed with the cement dust ran down the side of her face. <em>Blood?! Head injury--where?!</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Anxiously, he dug around in one of his many uniform pockets for a bandage, <em>Where is the goddamn bandage that I keep in that pocket?! </em>Finding one stored in the pocket plus a couple sanitation wipes, he located the gash at the edge of her hairline. Awkwardly cleaned the wound with the wipes and applied bandage. <em>That should work until the medics get here...</em></span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">However, the moment he’d touched her face, a wave of decisiveness flooded over him. He was going to carry her out of the building --Kai, set his jaw and summoning his strength picked up the woman in his arms.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Whether you’re my Soo in this life or not —this time —I’m never going to let you go.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He only had to make it a few steps before coming face to face with the rushing paramedic team with a stretcher in tow. They quickly readied the stretcher for him, and let him lay the unconscious girl on the stretcher before securing her down and rushing her out.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jeon, watched them for a moment before his body swayed beneath him… <em>Shit… I guess the adrenaline… keeping me up—</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Officer Byun, caught him before he hit the floor. As he was loosing consciousness he vaguely heard Byun, shout for a stretcher, and saw the shapes of the other emergency services rush past them towards the location of the explosion.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">More crackling in his ear piece.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Darkness.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———————</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, blinked opened his sore eyes to bright fluorescent lights and white curtains. On his face was a hard plastic oxygen mask.<em>Where…? Oh yeah... the hospital…</em>From multiple other regions in the room came the unending and annoying beeping rhythm telling him that he was in a hospital emergency room. He Looked around the small curtained off bed for a clock. <em>How long have I been here?</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sitting up he pulled the oxygen mask off and pulled back the light comforter. He paused here for a moment to crack both his back and neck --His whole body felt sore and tight like he'd been lying in the same position for too long. <em>Have I seriously been asleep in this bed for day or two?</em></span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His head and his right shoulder and left arm all throbbed unequally --but other than that --the nurses hadn't placed him in any sort of cast so the rest of him must have been generally okay. There was the new presence of tape on his forehead —a bandage from where his head had probably connected a wall giving him a concussion. <em>At least the horrible ringing is gone but where did they take—Soo-y-Go Hajin. Aishh… I'll never get that straight... Aiii... I passed out before--is she already awake? </em>—where was a nurse that he could ask these things?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Looking down at what he was wearing —he was still dressed in his SWAT uniform —minus the protective gear... and his boots. However --the left arm of his uniform sleeve was however ripped or had possibly been cut and sticking out of his left arm was an IV.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He easily pulled the IV out and swung his legs off the bed and onto the cold linoleum floor —the nurse had neatly tucked them away under the bed and given him a pair of those fluffy hospital socks with useless plastic tread...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He slipped his feet --fluffy socks and all back into the boots. Standing up he unsteadily grabbed the bed rail for a moment before his equilibrium kicked into high gear. Pushing the curtain to the side revealed a larger room. The room contained eight identical curtained off beds or pods and traveling between pods was a collection of nurses, aids and doctors. To his left at the end of the room was a circular shaped desk. That would be where he'd be able to find out about where they'd placed Go Hajin.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Walking up to the desk, “Excuse me —I’m looking for a Jane Doe —she would’ve been admitted to the ER earlier this afternoon for a concussion and possibly some internal bleeding or bruising?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The charge nurse looked up from the chart she was currently flipping through to acknowledge him with a glance and then turned to another chart sitting near by on the desk by her computer.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh...You’re Captain Jeon Kai of the Central Seoul Precinct?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh...Correct.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You two were admitted here at around the same time. Your Sergeant Oh —told me that when you’d wake-up you’d probably get yourself out of bed.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, only nodded his head…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The nurse continued, </span> <span class="s1">“The Jane Doe is in —East, Bed Five.”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai’s blank expression at this revelation forced her to explain further.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The bed directly across from yours —you’re on the east wing, also your Jane Doe could have died from the main blast --since she wasn’t wearing any protective gear like you were at the time, she experienced a more severe head trauma from the explosion than you." The nurse looked like she had more to say... but wasn't sure if she should add it on... "Your Sergeant Oh told me that you protected her from the main force of the blast.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Again, the nurse continued, “by doing that you placed yourself in greater danger --but saved her life —you’re a hero." Here she smiled and blushed a little at herself, " —anyway, I just sent a nurse to go check in on her —we have a cafeteria on this floor if your hungry since… or you can sit in our waiting roo—“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cut off her last option, Kai gestured at the entrance to the east wing, “do you mind if I wait here until she wakes up?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The nurse smiled and nodded her head returning to the original chart that she’d been looking at before Kai, approached the desk.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———————Go Hajin——————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Asan Medical Center, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">May 19th 2017 — Evening</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin woke to the muffed sounds of…. <em>A Hospital? What am I even doing in a hospital? Aissh, I really need to stop waking up in hospitals. Joonie is literally going to kill me. </em>She inwardly rolled her eyes at herself. She furrowed his brows together to think. <em>What had I even been doing before now that caused me to end up here? Think Jin…</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She’d been on a truly boring date, and then went to the museum —because she’d felt like it? And she had the whole day free to herself, so why not do something before she headed home?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Pyeha. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Baek Ah’s paintings… I'm Hae Soo….Goryeo actually happened to me —It wasn’t just a dream… but… that still doesn’t explain how I ended up here, back in a hospital bed feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck and wearing this silly oxygen mask? What day is it even? </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>There was someone else in the room with me… Just briefly… Briefly before? Before the the world exploded… Exploded? That can’t be right… He introduced himself to me…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She felt her head and realized that her whole head, neck and shoulders were in a brace. <em>That would be why I can’t move my head and that would also be why I’m staring straight at the ceiling.</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin managed a small painful laugh at how ridiculous she must look right now. <em>Aigoo…</em> <em>I guess this is the price I’m paying for getting my memories back and finding myself… </em>A pang of sadness rolled over her just thinking about never going back and never being able to say all the things she wanted to say to all the people she wanted to speak with the most.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">From the angle she was positioned in the bed she could see that her bed was surrounded by a wall of curtain that closed near the foot of her bed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The sound of soft footsteps approaching her bed made watch the curtain opening in anticipation. A moment later a she saw them part a little and re-close. The footsteps formed into the perky face of a young nurse holding a clipboard. She looked up and straight into Hajin's eyes for moment before bobbing a greeting.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh! You’re awake —would you like to try sitting up and eating something —Ahh…. wait actually, since you’re also awake now —would you mind if I asked you a couple questions?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh… Anyo.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The young nurse adjusted the settings on the bed so she could comfortably reach the rolling table when food would be finally be delivered. The nurse then went about asking a series questions that primarily had to do with who she was, what month and year this was and finally she held up a series of fingers and asked how many she was holding up —other than not knowing what day it was or for how long she’d been out this time, Jin passed the “test” with flying colors according to the nurse. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There were a few more tests that the doctor had requested they run on her before they would let Hajin check-out of the hospital, until then —Hajin was instructed by the nurse to use the call button if she need to use the restroom, was hungry or in need of anything else.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Just before she was about to leave the young nurse turned back around and added in a conspiratorial tone, </span>
  <span class="s1">“the whole time you’ve been unconscious —a police officer… ahhh… Captain Je…Je...Aiiiigooo....I read it on his uniform a minute ago…” The woman tapped the clipboard against her forehead to think…”—Ahh… I’ve lost it —anyway I think he’s been waiting for you to wake up —would you like to let him in?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahhh…. I guess?” Hajin, wasn’t sure why if it was Hajoon, --but wouldn't he have just barged in or been there already when she woke up?<em> Hajoon isn’t even a Captain…Right</em>? <em>Was I in trouble for something before I passed out and now feel like I was run over by a delivery truck…?</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The girl unable to control her need to divulge what she thought was a secret, popped her head back in around the curtain.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin giggle a little at her antics --she was just like the junior court ladies in the Damiwon, eager and too full of energy.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The charge nurse told me he saved you from the impact of the explosion and carried you out of the museum.” The girl winked, “just thought I should let you know before I let him in.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin reached up and patted her cheeks that were daring burn a dangerous pink color at the idea of being “rescued” out of an exploding building —like she was some kind of heroine in one of the dramas she spent too much time watching. <em>Then again… this wouldn’t be the first time I was saved…</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ahh… Then I guess you shouldn’t keep my knight in shining armor waiting any longer…” At the “knight in shining armor” part Hajin, added her own wink. <em>Gahhh… I hope my cheeks aren’t too embarrassingly pink after that…</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With that young nurse turned on her heel and left the pod. A few moments later the sound of quick booted feet approached the curtain wall. (author's note: In my head right here I start playing "My Love" so feel free to imagine that)</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin, wasn’t quite sure what to expect in that moment, But the moment she caught a  glimpse of the man's profile dressed entirely in a black SWAT uniform her stomach felt like it dropped right out of her.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her 4th Prince. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He wasn't wearing a helmet —revealing a tussled mess of short dark brown hair. His face had obviously been cleaned of dust and grim quickly a while ago.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In his eyes was a storm of emotions, His lips were slightly parted like he had something he wanted to say but couldn’t quite form anything into cohesive sentences. The was a slight quiver in his jaw —his jawline —She loved his perfect jawline —it was still just as sharp as she remembered it —you could cut diamonds with it.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And there much fainter than she remembered were the familiar lines around his left eye. How many times in their past life had she traced them? She let her gaze fall to the sleeve of his left arm that was a mess —revealing a tattoo underneath? <em>Wait —when did that happen??</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She glanced back up at his face and before she could stop the words from falling out, “Pyeha —You have a tattoo?” <em>Aigoo? What? What did I just say?? This man may look like…</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The storm that had been brewing in his eyes melted away into that awkward little smile that he always saved for her. The smile always reminded her of a child whenever she'd said something he did quite know how to process. He then l</span><span class="s1">ooked over at his arm and then back at her </span>nodding out of simple, "Oh."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>But... Hold your horses before you run off to all the other shiner MLSHR fanfics... I've still got a couple more chapters of some fluff. God... after all they've been through --they deserve it.</p><p>Confession time again... I hope ya'll enjoyed my try at purple prose on Lee Joon Gi's beauty... seriously though, about half-way through writing all that I was like... "I definitely have a problem... because... I could just keep going." &gt;_&gt;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Unsaid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Hae Soo and Wang So sit in the ER of a modern day hospital and have a heart to heart. ;)</p><p>Enjoy!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————Jeon Kai &amp; Go Hajin——————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Asan Medical Center, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">May 19th 2017 — Evening</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>God, that smile —that was first thing that melted my heart towards you in the first place, I just saw that smile yesterday… in the picture… you were standing with Joon… the tattoo… the crazy Sergeant… at the club… </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jin suddenly turned ashen, horrified as her brain struggled to put it all together and her words seemed to flood out in a pile.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“you’re… Jeon Kai —My brother is Go Ha Joon —you were there… all along —in the picture… but… but…—you were at the club —you actually found me— annndd… and….” Her eyes instantly flooded with tears. They formed to streams down her face as soon as she finally put everything together, “—I… I hadn’t traveled back in time to… Goryeo, and…at that time…I didn’t know…you… I was drunk… with awful friends… I’m sorry…. I’m so sorry… Pyeha… or Kai… or whatever you call yourself here…… I’m so sorry for…. everything…. but I had to leave… I was dying… Pyeha —I was dishonest with you in the end —I was pregna—“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai cut her off, “With Seol? </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You… knew? …How?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I didn’t… at first…” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Here Kai glanced away for a moment pausing to find the right words. Failing to do so, he ended up looking at the ceiling, struggled to blink back the tears.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Turning back to look at her “I’m…” His jaw quivered, “Soo-ya… I’m… so sorry…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They sat there for a moment in silence unsure of what to say next. One in a brace and the other sitting on the edge of her hospital bed just an arms reach apart.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In that moment silent tears ran down both faces.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Silent tears that said more than either could manage.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And then like the sun parting through the clouds, a small gentle smile broke across Hajin’s lips. Her hand floated up towards Kai’s face and like so many times before she traced the now faint lines of his scar starting at the top then following the line down around his eye and finally cupping the side of he face.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai reacted out of habit —securing her hand in his and grasping on to it like a drowning man that was just given a rope.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“4th Prince, how is it that you still haven’t changed? Are you still afraid that you haven’t won my heart completely? Yet again —you were there just in time to save my life. Remember —I’m your person. Completely your person in that life as Hae Soo, and now in this life as Go Hajin.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jin, paused what she was saying for a moment tilting her head to the side allowing her smile to grow and added, “Prepare yourself —I’m not going anywhere.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her last words elicited a laugh out of Kai, followed by a smile.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai with his free hand reached up and pushed a stray hair back behind her ear that paused to cup her face, “There you go again, always lecturing…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The next thing Hajin felt was the wrapping of his arms around her back to draw her in closer to him. At that same moment he let go of her other hand and used it wiped her still wet cheeks dry. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Unable to look up into his face because of the inconvenient neck brace, Hajin found herself staring stupidly at the place were his neck vanished into the shirt. She saw his throat nervously swallow and then felt the warmth of his breath against her forehead and then felt it move down her face. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her eyelids closed in anticipation.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The warmth of his kiss flooded throughout her body. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>I’m finally home.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin wrapped her arms around Kai, clinging onto him as if her life depended on it.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Nothing else in the world mattered to her at that moment, she was reunited with her 4th prince —and he still loved her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai pulled away from the kiss allowing Hajin, to catch her breath. He cleared his throat awkwardly noting the flush color of her cheeks and unsure of what to say or do next.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her eyes opened, and then the words started to flow out of him, “I figured out how to generally read your journals and finally… found out… why you left… also Seol age didn’t make sense for Jung to be her father the first time I met her… Soo-ya or Hajin—If I’d known I would’ve come right away —I actually couldn’t keep myself for seeing you and often found myself watching you at Jung’s resistance from a distance… If Jung hadn’t covered your letters with his… I was so angry with him … I didn’t read them until… too late…” Here he paused to steady his voice that was beginning to shake again, “From the moment I said them I regretted my parting words to you…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin, smiled and cupped the side of his face again, “Kai… I was always going to leave you in —I was dying.” She took a breath reestablishing eye-contact, “Yes —every day at Jung’s resistance, I would imagine you riding up in a flurry of black robes and taking me somewhere far away where we could live —but then I would remember that the people needed you —a just ruler, they needed Gwangjong.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai nodded thoughtfully and mussed with flimsy hospital blanket.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What was Seol like?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai looked at the away at the opening in the curtains for a moment to think about his answer.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“When she was little she was just like you clumsy and full of life —Jung spoiled her —but then didn’t know what to do with her so the little punk had her learn martial arts when she was old enough to pay attention.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“She had your eyes…” “There were times when she was older that I would catch her laughing and would suddenly feel like I was seeing a vision of you…” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“As she got older, she grew more headstrong —and took after… uhh… me. She raised hell on the Hwangbo family… through various methods…” He stopped speaking when he saw Hajin’s expression darken.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“She ended up living in the palace? But I tried so hard to prevent that.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai looked down at bed nodding.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“She was being married off by Jung to another family for political reasons, and I couldn’t handle the thought of our child living out the rest of her days in a loveless marriage —because it only benefitted her family. I decided to tell her the truth and offer her a title —and then let her decide what to do with it.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Anndd… like you… she chose the palace… Aish… She really was like you.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her expression suddenly changed from concern to horror.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Fuck. How on earth did Yeon Hwa and her mother, handle the news?” (author’s note: Seeing Yeon Hwa’s expression at Wang Seol being given a title and brought into he palace knowing intact that this is So’s first born that he had with Hae Soo makes me wish it actually happened. I hate that woman… ullll the whole jealous Hwangbo family actually…the amount of glee I would have in her anger… is troubling —I’m aware. If I was a better writer I would try writing some political adventures were Seol uses political sway to make all the variouscrooked ministers and their families lives… uncomfortable. With the unbridled blessing of her father)</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At the change in her expression Kai stifled a laugh and leaned back resting his weight of his upper body on his arms making it harder for Jin to avoid constant eye-contact.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“by that point —I really didn’t care who I pissed off in the palace and I’d pretty pissed everyone but the actual Wang family —they all knew I was the same wolf as before —I’m not sure what they were expecting when I became king.” Here he raised an eye-brow and gave her his quintessential lop-sided grin, “however after she entered the palace —it filled a part of the loneliness I felt.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At his response Hajin, refused to meet his gaze, and tutting under her breath. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“She eventually fell in love the second son of a wealthy and high ranking family from Qing. She wrote to me until I died.” Here pasted a ridiculous grin on his face that she could remember him using to get on her good side, “In one of the last letters, she wrote of having twins —so I that technically means we’re grandparents.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At this last revelation Hajin, finally stared at him eyes widening.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Aiiiii! What will my mother and brother even think —we never even properly… married…” She immediately blushed at the reality of the what she’d just said.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We could get married…Aiigooo!!” Here he pulled an expression of mock distress while comically looking away from her all the while tutting under his breath, “Aiii…you missed your chances of living like a queen… now you’ll just have to put up with the salary of common detecti—ggrahhhh!” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Here Hajin, grabbed him by the ear and flicked him on the forehead like he was common child caught in the act of stealing a cookie. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Rubbing his forehead where she’d just flicked it, Kai sat up and looked directly into her in the eyes fumbling for the right words, “do… do you even… want to… be my… wife?” His voice faded away as he formed the last word.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As you can see.... there is still more... I think I now know where I'm going with this. I also am aware that this is a rather boring chapter as nothing really happens in it... besides some conversation and crying --but I felt it was necessary for them to air some of these things out before they can move on in the present.</p><p> Kai/So is incredibly hard for me to write convincingly because his character conveys so much meaning and emotion through subtle facial expressions... when I watched back through a number of episodes --I found he's actually a man of few words that fluctuates between totally adorable puppy and pure cold power.</p><p>I know this is rough.... but I've gotta get back into writing again... crazy how difficult it can be after taking a few weeks off. lol. </p><p>Thank you so much to everyone that has left comments and kudos --those really do keep me writing. :)</p><p>Confession Time: *sighs* only 10 more days until Flower of Evil...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hajoon runs in at the wrong moment.</p><p>Enjoy!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————Go Hajoon——————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Asan Medical Center, South Korea</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">May 19th 2017 — Evening</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon had been in the process of cleaning up his desk to go home when his cellphone rang. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Earlier that afternoon all police stations in South Korea had been placed on high alert in the after-math of this afternoon’s simple act of terrorism as the government has called it. The President had even called a live press conference to speak to the nation about it. The incident had caused international ripples.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">(author’s note: The moment I realized that to bring our Soo/So couple together I created an international/political incident… I was like “what have I done and what do I do now???” o_o… author hand wave it away… &gt;_&gt;) </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A live bomb placed in the Seoul Art Museum had exploded while the EOD team was inside trying to find and disarm it. The police had been anonymously tipped off early enough to evacuate everyone from the premises —only they hadn’t. He’d heard the alert that a Jane Doe had been at the location of the explosion and had only just been saved by the Captain of the EOD squad who serendipitously just happened there at the right moment to protect her.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">What wasn’t expecting was the voice on the other side of the phone was the voice of an ER nurse telling him that his sister Go Hajin was that Jane Doe.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’d panicked and babbled at the nurse about coma and memory loss until the nurse calmed him down enough to explain; Hajin, had only sustained a good amount of bruising and was in a neck brace —but other than that —she was stable, awake and alert. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His legs had nearly collapsed under him out of relief when he’d heard those words.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Jinnie is fine. Battered —but fine.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Chun-ja had been working late with him that day, immediately began waving him out the door while grabbing her own cars keys after he’d mouthed the word “Noona in the hospital.” with a worried expression.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She’d driven him to the hospital and again he’d rushed up to the nurses station identifying himself as Go Hajin’s younger brother and once again the young nurse had given him the directions to her bed.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Why? Why were you in there Jinnie?! After all we’ve been through why did this have to happen to you too? Ahh… East wing bed number five… that one…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon, quickly approached the curtained off bed, and just as he was pulling the curtain back he vaguely heard someone say the words,</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…be my… wife?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Jinnie! </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Joonie!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon, would have said more, but just as he was about to speak he suddenly became very aware that someone else was sitting on the hospital bed very, very close to her… with one hand resting comfortably too comfortably on her shoulder, and the other holding his sisters.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The other person wiped around facing him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Hyung?!?! </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon’s head had to worked at a speed it had never worked at before to try to put all the informationhis eyes were bringing together… <em>What… what was Jeon Kai of all people doing in here with Noona… Noona in a head and neck brace. The nurse had said —Hyung couldn’t have been the one that just said “be my wife.”??? —Breathe Joon. This is all makes perfect sense. Jeon Kai is the Captain of a SWAT team. He… he… just saved Jinnie—</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon watched Kai clear his throat glance back at Jin, and awkwardly remove himself from both Jin and the bed.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I ahh…—“ Another throat clearing and another quick glance over at his sister and return of an apologetic glance and then a blush when she noticed Hajoon still quietly looking between them.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“—I was brought into the ER with Soo—your sister…. Jin-ya—” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Here Kai stupidly smiled.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Since when did the Jeon Kai he knew act like that around anyone?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>—I’ll… let you two talk… I’m going to go…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Ya. </em>Hajoon blinked. <em>Ya. They're already that aquatinted? How long has she been seeing —Captain Jeon?… She told me she was only going out on a few dates since Chun-ja had officially agreed to go-out with me —how long have the been a couple —BEHIND MY BACK?!</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wait!” He held out his hand to prevent Kai, from taking another step out of the curtained off pod.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin that had been silent for the small interchange between the two menfinally spoke up.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Joonie. Calm down. Captain Jeon was… uhh…” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin, pulled a face appealing now to Jeon, now for help in trying to explain themselves to her younger brother. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Captain Jeon was the officer that save my life in the Museum.” Her already high voice rose another octave as it faded away on the last word. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Well that ticks that off my list of probabilities, I guess —but it doesn’t explain why they seemed so… intimate… Just a moment ago.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The thought that there might be more going on between the two than what he just caught caused a spike in his blood pressure.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yahhh!! What did I just walk in on between the two of you?! Hyung —Did I really just hear you propose to my Noona?! How long has this been going on between the two of you behind my back?!” As a second thought tacked onto the end of what he was trying to make sense of Hajoon added with a full bow, “Kamsahamnida, Captain, Kamsahamnida for saving Hajin —but what on earth is going on between you two?!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Both of them spoke at the same time, “A ye—A litt—r—wi—r…” Their voices faded away as they realized they were very clearly trying to come-up with two different stories…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">(authors note: Just how exactly do you explain to your younger brother that the year while you were in coma here —you were living out 10 years of your life in ancient Goryeo. How do you explain that without being sent to a funny-farm? Haha.)</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai stared at the floor running the tips of his fingers along his lips to think.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jinnie coughed and patted a wrinkle out of the hospital blanket.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They exchanged a couple of side glances.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>What is the secret between them?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jeon took a step forward spoke first, “Joon —we have been seeing each other behind your back for sometime. And yes —you just heard me asking if you’re sister was interested in… marriage.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Stupefied at the blatant honesty Hajoon blinked. <em>Of course.</em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Joonie… uhh… I’m really quite sorry I didn’t tell you sooner… I would have told you —but… I couldn’t…” Hajin uncertainly apologized.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But… but… what about those dating app dates that you’ve been going on —you said you needed to get back out there and find a guy now that me and—“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin coughed and tried to cut him off with a look, “Those were—uhhh….”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">However, too much had been said to stop the conversation that followed from happening.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Soo—Jin-ya, what is Joonie saying…?” Kai turned back towards the bed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pyeha, I’d lost my memory of Goryeo when… I woke-up”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“Majesty?” What. What the fuck did my sister just call Hyung? "Pyeha?!" Is this the new “Oppa” trend in pet names? …oh Goryeo... again… Not again… God —she’s been so good for the past few months…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>“</em>You forgot… everything… you even forgot… me?” Kai’s voice broke with emotion.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>“…</em>Nae… I think... I remembered some parts of my time there just after I woke up here —but… I was here… and it all suddenly felt like a long nightmare. I would have memories from the palace and Damiwon would appear strangely in my dreams —in my dreams you always had your back to me or you were wearing your mask —and silently staring at me… you never said anything…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajin’s voice shook and Kai, knelt down next in to the bed until they were face to face.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><em>Goryeo. Palace. Damiwon. Oh god… no not again… </em>Hajoon had to look around Kai's figure to see his sister's face, </span> <span class="s1">“Jinnie —do you remember the steps the councilor told you to do whenever you feel one of these episodes coming—”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Joon. I’m NOT having another ‘episode’ —Do I look like I’m spiraling out of control or having a hard time breathing!?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai’s expression darken for a moment as he glanced between the two of them.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hajoon, These… ‘episodes,’ were these —the one's your older sister had during the Mao case?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“…Nae.” Hajoon, nodded his head.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kai, was silent again for moment before he turned back to Jin, “how did you remember —How long ago? When I ran into you in the club you hadn’t even gone to Goryeo yet—“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Beak Ah’s paintings… just before you saved me.” Here Joon, saw a look in his sister’s eyes that he’d never seen before, “Looking at those paintings was like re-living all the best moments there… and that’s when I remembered… it was like I’d found myself again —I knew who I was because of what I’d gone through.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If you… had to go through it again with the knowledge of what would happen to you… would you?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jinnie with the type of resolution Hajoon had never seen from his sister replied, “Nae… I would. Just to meet you again —4th prince —and accept your first proposal …at the sea… I might haveactually had a chance to see our Seol-ah grow-up…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>First proposal?! What? How long has Hyung and Noona known each other? Seol?! Child… they had a…. How?? WHEN?? DOES MOTHER KNOW THIS?!?</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hajoon spluttered and coughed hard as he tried to inhale more air while only managing to choke on his own spit. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard coming out of his sister’s mouth.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“CHILD?!” Joon, practically levitated off the random piece of hospital equipment he’d been using as a stool and pointed a finger back and forth between them, “You… you two… have a… secret child?!! This isn’t just a few on going dates behind my back —There is a child involved now!! Does eomma know about this?!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jin’s face went white.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Joon. If you ever loved me —Don’t you dare breath a word of what I’m about to tell you or about Seol to eomma.” Jin, inhaled and looked back at Hyung, who silently nodded in a reassuring manner, “you probably won’t believe what I’m about to tell you —but this is not another 'episode' This is real. This really happened to me --I’m not crazy…”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Honestly, I'm not sure where this chapter came from as I wasn't intending on writing it --but yeah.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feel free to comment or message me your thoughts and ideas of where you think the story is going or where it should go (I might add it in), or even just to squee about anything Moonlovers related.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>